


Runaway

by up_brendons_ass



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:13:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 38
Words: 72,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23307364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/up_brendons_ass/pseuds/up_brendons_ass
Summary: After escaping a traumatic past, Taylor moved to Seattle to try and get a fresh start and forget about it. It was simply time to move forward from it.Because of her past, she's the type to demand respect and never let someone push her around. Luke looks after her as best as he can, him now being the only family she really has.On an exceptionally rainy Tuesday night at a Starbucks in the middle of January, Taylor meets Ashton, and he's nothing that she expected at first.She can't read him like she can most people; he's different. and she's not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing. She wants to keep her guard up, but Ashton is so tempting with his charismatic demeanor. Deep down she knows she wants to be happy, but she doesn't know how to find her happiness.Ashton wants to be her happiness; Taylor just has to let him.
Relationships: Ashton Irwin/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

I find it really funny how your first opinion on someone can change so much once you get to know them.

As human beings, we naturally judge someone by our first look at them. It doesn't matter how hard you try not to, and maybe you don't do it aloud, but you always end up judging someone by the first look at them.

Having this theory down to a science, I'm the type of person that's really big on first impressions. I'm also the type of person who appreciates respect and when I don't get it, i demand it until I do get it.

And that particular January Tuesday night in Seattle, my standards were no lower than usual as I shook off my umbrella right outside of Starbucks before stepping inside and pulling my hair loose from my hood.

Seattle is like a Starbucks city. There's simply too many of them for the density of the city, and if you stayed for a short vacation and went to a different Starbucks everyday I guarantee you wouldn't go to the same one twice.

I however didn't like change. I'm a consistency kind of person and I always went to the same one. Have been for the past 6 months now, so much that I met my best friend who works here.

"Taylor," Luke smiled at me. "The usual?"

"You know the answer to that already, Hemmings," I said as he smirked and placed my order of a tall apple cider. I usually came in here a couple times during the week to just kinda settle down after work before going home with Luke to our shared apartment.

Its actually kind of a funny story how Luke and I ended up moving in together and becoming so close. The first day I'd come in here looking for a fresh start from the home I'd ran away from 6 months ago, Luke of course was working and was having an especially clumsy day, and ended up completely screwing up my order. After tripping over his words completely and apologizing a good 5 or 6 times, he decided he was going to just step up his game and asked to make it up to me by taking me out to dinner sometime. Then after a few awkward dates and a horrible attempt at a first kiss that ended in us making out in his bedroom and his brother walking in on us, we decided we weren't meant for each other and became close friends. 5 months later Luke decided he needed to move out and we compromised on moving in together so we could support each other financially and emotionally. Long story short, Luke screwing up my first order was probably the best thing that had happened to me since I moved out.

"It has been pouring down rain relentlessly all day," Luke said as he made my drink behind the counter.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Just count your blessings that you didn't have to walk a mile in it."

"We'll take a cab home," he rolled his eyes.

"Good," I said, pushing a 5 dollar bill on the counter as Luke took it and pulled out my change, handing it to me across the counter.

I took my drink, settling into my usual spot in the corner of the store in front of the fireplace. Stripping my coat from my body, I draped it over the arm of the couch, opening my umbrella enough to dry from the rain. I took my phone from my brown over the shoulder purse and propped my feet up--laced boots and all--onto the footrest in front of me. I scrolled through my Instagram feed while sipping on my drink, enjoying my cozy place by the fire.

It wasn't 10 minutes that I'd been sitting when I heard someone clear their throat next to me, and I turned to see a boy with curly caramel colored hair sit on the couch next to me, also propping his feet up on the footrest in front of us. He casually draped his arm across the back of the couch, holding his drink in his opposite hand. Although he was a good 2 feet away from me, it was obvious he was trying to be as smooth as possible.

blowing off the douche, I turned back to my phone. and judging by the way he was acting and the feeling I got from him, he was after something I wasn't going to give him.

we sat in silence for a few minutes before he said, "the rain just keeps coming down today doesn't it?"

"Mhm," I said, still looking down at my phone. I wasn't sure why but just his presence was annoying me and I found myself looking at the time on my phone frequently, waiting for Luke's shift to be over already. unfortunately I had another 45 minutes I could potentially spend with this asshole.

"I'm just glad I didn't have to walk in that today," he said. "I'm so thankful the buses around here go everywhere I need to be."

"Lucky you," I said, still not looking up from my phone.

I heard him clear his throat and from the corner of my eye, I saw him scoot a little closer to me, making me look up at him from my phone.

"How was your day?" he asked, taking a sip from his drink.

"It was alright," I said, watching as he leaned forward and set his drink down on the table in front of us.

"Just alright?" he raised his eyebrows at me.

"Yeah," I said simply.

"You don't seem like you've had a very good day," he said, folding his arms across his chest.

"Well I mean, I don't exactly enjoy walking a mile in the pouring rain and then come to wind down a bit and some asshole comes and sits a little uncomfortably close to me when I'm trying to do so," I said. "But I guess we don't always get what we want now do we?"

"Me?" he asked as I took a sip of my own drink. "I'm sitting uncomfortably close to you?"

"Oh please," I rolled my eyes, setting my drink down. "Don't act like you can't tell what you're doing."

"I'm being friendly," he said. "You looked a little lonely just sitting here on your own."

"I'm not lonely," I said. "I'm enjoying my time to myself."

"Tay?" Luke appeared in front of us. "They're letting me off early tonight. are you ready to go?"

"I am," I said, standing and putting my jacket on, grabbing my umbrella and drink.

As we got to the door, I stopped, turning around. "I--"

"Forgot your purse," the curly haired boy said, holding it out to me as he stood right behind us.

"Thanks," I said quietly, taking it from him and walking out with Luke without saying another word.

-

"Do you know who that was?" I asked Luke as he was sitting at the table reading a book while I made dinner for us.

"Who?" he asked, glancing up from his book.

"That boy," I said. "The one with the curly hair that sat and talked to me earlier."

"Oh him," he said. "He comes every Tuesday and Thursday. I think his name is Ashton or something."

"How come I haven't seen him before?" I asked, beginning to chop up some carrots for our salad.

"He doesn't usually really talk to anyone, I don't know. why so many questions?" he stood and joined me in the kitchen.

"It was just odd I guess," I said. "No one really attempts to talk to me."

"Maybe he thought you were cute or something," he smirked. "You are wearing the same sweater as when you first came into that store a while back."

"Am I?" I asked. "You remember that?"

"Well yeah," he said. "You were just so cute and small looking, I was tripping all over my words."

"I remember that," I laughed. "And how you screwed up one of the simplest orders ever."

"It was not one of the simplest orders ever," he rolled his eyes.

"An apple cider? really?" I turned and raised my eyebrows at him to see a huge grin on his face.

"I'd only been working there for about a month alright?" he giggled, taking one of the carrots and popping it into his mouth.

I rolled my eyes, turning back to the carrots and pouring them into the salad after swatting his arm.

"Maybe he was just trying to be friendly, either way," Luke shrugged. "You could use a few more friends."

"Thanks." I finished up our pasta and dished it onto plates and sat at the table.

"Don't worry about him," Luke said. "I'm sure you'll never even see him again in your life."

Boy was he wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

I sighed as I leaned forward with my elbows on my desk, rubbing my temples.

I kept getting my hopes up that it was finally Friday when every break that I got was spent just to realize it was only Thursday. It had been a long week, and I was ready to just curl up with Luke on our couch at home and watch Netflix in my sweats all weekend.

My mind kept drifting back to my encounter with Ashton on Tuesday night. I couldn't quite figure out what his intentions were, and usually it's pretty clear with guys. He came across at first like he was just trying to get with me, and then with him bringing me my purse before I left it it seemed like he was genuinely trying to be a gentleman. I wondered also why I'd never seen him before, because that certainly wasn't the first Tuesday I'd been to Starbucks.

I of course pushed him aside though, because Luke was right. I would probably never even see him in my life again.

My headache didn't subside, even when I walked into Starbucks to wait for Luke again. I didn't even have the energy to greet him or get a drink for myself; I just went straight to the couch and sat down, checking the time on my phone before closing my eyes and leaning my head back against the couch.

I'll admit that I live a pretty simple life. I just go to work and then Luke and I come home and we have dinner and watch TV and wind down before going to bed. I get up in the morning and take a shower or just get dressed, make Luke breakfast before heading off to catch the bus. I go to work all day, then come to meet Luke at Starbucks, or if I'm really tired I just go straight home, and the cycle repeats itself. Weekends we might go to the park or something or walk around downtown Seattle, but a lot of times we end up being too tired from the week to do anything but watch movies and sleep and order Chinese takeout.

I think it's great having Luke around as a best friend all the time. We act like a married couple--we fight all the time, we tease each other, sometimes he even puts his arm around my shoulder when we walk. It gives people the idea to keep away from me because although Luke is like a big teddy bear, being 6'4 he looks a bit intimidating.

Here I was, Thursday night sitting at Starbucks waiting for Luke just like our usual weekday.

"Long day at work?" I heard Luke's voice in front of me and I opened my eyes and glanced at him to see him wiping off a nearby table with a rag.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I'm so tired I feel like I could sleep for days."

"Why didn't you just go home?" he asked.

"I don't know, honestly." I had full intentions on coming straight home today but something in the back of my mind was nagging at me to come to Starbucks today, and now that there was no reason for it I was feeling a bit stupid.

"Well I'm off in 20 minutes," he said. "Then we can go home and I'll make dinner tonight."

I nodded as Luke turned and walked away, leaving me alone on the couch again.

Well, I thought I was alone.

"You and Luke are really cute together," a voice next to me startled me a little and I turned to look at none other than the same curly haired boy that sat by me Tuesday night.

"Oh m'sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he said.

"Do I know you?" I asked as he took a deep sigh and leaned back against the couch, crossing his arms across his chest.

"I'm afraid not, darling."

"Who are you and why are you talking to me?" I asked, not intending to sound rude but it certainly sounded that way when it came out.

He opened his eyes and looked over at me, uncrossing his arms and sitting forward to stare at me in the eyes.

"I'm Ashton Irwin," he said. "And I'm just trying to make friendly conversation."

"And why have I never seen you in my life before?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Right place and time."

"Do you come here very often?" I asked.

"Every Tuesday and Thursday."

"I feel like I would have seen you before Tuesday then," I said.

"Well you kinda just come in here every evening and you sit at this same couch every night and you do the same thing. you sip at your little drink and you scroll through your phone and get bored with it and then stare at the fire or read a book until you and your boyfriend leave together," he said. "I can see why you wouldn't notice me."

"First of all, I find it a bit uncomfortable that you notice all that about me and yet this is the first time you've talked to me," I said. "And second of all, Luke isn't my boyfriend."

"Then what is he?" he asked. "And it's just hard to not notice such a stunningly gorgeous girl."

My heart skipped a beat at his compliment but I pushed it aside. The last thing I need right now is a relationship and I certainly didn't want one with a boy that watches me every time I come into Starbucks yet never talks to me.

"Luke is my best friend," I said. "We're roommates I guess."

"You guess?" he raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah," I said. "We live together but we're just strictly friends."

"Mm." he nodded, turning and pulling his phone out of his pocket. "You know, I still haven't caught your name."

"I'm Taylor," I said.

"What's your full name?" he asked me.

"Taylor Parks," I said.

"Your middle name?" he asked.

"I don't have one."

"Can I give you one?" he asked.

"Maybe someday. But not today."

"Well then could I at least give you my number for now?" he asked, a grin taking over his face.

I let out a laugh, which made him smile as well. I guess he wasn't as bad as I thought he was the first time I met him, but there's was still something a bit off about him.

I almost declined and told him that I didn't want to but then I remembered my reason for moving here to Seattle. I remembered that I was getting a fresh start away from everyone else and I decided to go ahead and exchange phone numbers with Ashton Irwin.

"Hey, are you ready to go?" Luke asked me once Ashton and I had exchanged numbers and received a bunch of random texts from Ashton saying things like "guacamole" and "cranberries."

"Yeah," I said, standing and grabbing my purse.

"I'll see you around, Taylor Parks," Ashton smiled.

I gave him a small wave in return before walking out with Luke.

-

"What was with you and that guy?" Luke asked as I was sitting at the table flipping through a magazine absentmindedly.

"Hm? oh Ashton," I closed the magazine. "We were just talking."

"Was he the same one from Tuesday?" he asked.

"Mhm." I ran a hand through my hair. "He seems nice enough. He's just extremely hard to read."

"'I'll see you around, Taylor Parks,'" Luke giggled. "All proper and shit, using full names?"

"Yeah I guess," I laughed with him. I had to admit that using my full name was a bit strange.

"Well this soup is going to be done soon and tomorrow is Friday so we can come home and start another show on Netflix," he said. "I heard American Horror Story is pretty good. do you think we could watch an entire season this weekend?"

"We both know we could," I laughed as he set a bowl of soup in front of me and I took the spoon and sipped at it.

"Then I've got our entire weekend already planned out," he grinned, sitting at the table with his soup as well.

"Sounds good to me."


	3. Chapter 3

*Oi it's me*

I glanced down at my phone when I heard the buzz, looking away from the TV screen. Luke and I had been binge watching American Horror Story for the past 6 hours now and I regretted nothing.

Ashton of course. Who else would be texting me?

*Oi it's you.* I replied quickly before setting my phone down again and paying attention to the show.

"Who are you texting?" Luke asked, though I knew from the tone in his voice he knew exactly who I was texting.

"No one special," I shrugged. My phone buzzed again and I glanced down to see another text from Ashton.

"You better text him back," Luke smirked at me when I didn't reply.

"Why?" I asked. "I'm watching a tv show and probably missing important plot points every time I reply to a text of his."

"I think we both know you care more about texting him back," Luke said. "Stop acting like it's no big deal."

"It is no big deal," I said. "He's just making casual conversation, which we do in Starbucks anyways."

Luke reached for the remote and paused the show. "Text him back."

"What the hell Luke?" I frowned. "I was watching that."

"We can watch it another time," he said. "Text him back."

I rolled my eyes, picking up my phone and reading the text. It was just him asking how my day had been. Seriously, Luke?

"Luke," I whined.

"I'm gonna go make dinner," he grinned, picking up the remote and putting it out of my reach on the top shelf of our bookshelf.

"Really?" I sighed.

He smiled at me, blew me a kiss and turned around and walked into the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes, quickly relying to Ashton's text to let him know I'd been doing fine until Luke had been so rude to stop the show I'd been watching.

"I replied to Ashton," I called to Luke. "Can I have the remote now?"

"Nope!"

I rolled my eyes again and shifted so I was laying against the couch and held my phone over my head. Luke was so immature sometimes.

After a few texts back and forth with Ashton for about 20 minutes, Luke called me into the kitchen to let me know dinner was done.

"Anything with Ashton?" he asked.

"Why?" I asked back, sitting down at the table and starting in on my salad.

"I'm nosy," he said. "Why else would I be asking?"

I rolled my eyes. "It doesn't matter." Ashton asked about hanging out on Sunday at a park or something. I told him I wasn't sure just yet, just so I could get some time to think it through. I didn't even know Ashton that well so I didn't really wanna just dive headfirst into a situation like that.

"Someone's getting defensive," Luke smirked at me. "He asked you out didn't he?"

"No." I took another bite of salad, ignoring Luke's nosiness.

"Yes he did," he replied. "Don't lie to me Taylor, I know you better than that."

"Okay fine," I sighed. "He asked me if I wanted to hang out at a park or something on Sunday. No big deal."

"Aaaand what did you say?" Luke took a bite of his salad, being noisier than ever.

"I told him I'd think about it," I said.

"Why didn't you say yes?!" Luke practically yelled.

"I don't know, I don't know if I really want to. Jesus Luke quiet down," I rolled my eyes.

"Oh bullshit," he snorted. "You want to go to the park with him and you know it."

I sighed. "I want to watch the rest of that episode." I ignored his comment.

"Not until you agree to go to the park with Ashton."

"Why are you being so controlling?" I groaned, starting in on my chicken.

"Because Taylor," he said. "You told me about the reason you moved to Seattle and by denying Ashton even a friendship you are limiting yourself to possibilities. Don't you ever want to get married and settle down? You know, possibly have children and not just work all the time?"

"Well Luke you're coming on a bit strong already talking about marriage and children with Ashton when I don't even know how I feel about him," I said.

"Not Ashton particularly," he said. "But you've lived in Seattle for what 6 months and you've only been on dates with one guy? I get that you want to settle in and everything but I think you're pretty settled in where you are now and it's time you start dating and get somewhere with your life rather than just watching movies and Netflix on weekends."

"I suppose you're right, to a degree," I said. "But I don't want to jump in headfirst with Ashton. I mean he's nice and all I guess but he's just so... I don't know, different."

"Well you can still date and get to know him," Luke took a bite of his chicken, finally. "And if it sparks into something more then great and if it doesn't then you can always look for another guy."

"And if Ashton turns out to be a total douche?"

"I'll kick his ass." Luke smiled at me.

I couldn't help but laugh too, finishing the last of my chicken. "I suppose I will tell Ashton that I'll go with him Sunday then."

"Good girl." Luke teased. I rolled my eyes at him.

After dinner I texted Ashton informing him that I would be delighted to go to the park with him on Sunday. Luke finally took the remote down and we watched the remainder of our episode of American Horror Story. I brushed my teeth before we started another and halfway through it I was half asleep, cuddled against Luke's chest on the couch. Luke has always been great at cuddling. He is warm, like a teddy bear. His arms seem to just engulf me whenever I hug him and I fall asleep on him more often than I probably should.

Pretending to be asleep, the episode ended and Luke turned off the television, carrying me into my bedroom like a small child. It wasn't much effort for him, he's rather strong and I'm quite small as it is.

He tucked me into my bed, turning off the light and leaving the door cracked open before quietly walking to his own bedroom and before I knew I was sound asleep, mentally preparing myself for what was to come the following day.


	4. Chapter 4

"I'll be back in a few hours," I told Luke before giving him a quick hug and heading out the door.

After telling Ashton that going to a park in the middle of January might be a little uncomfortable due to the cold, he agreed and suggested we go bowling instead. This way worked out better because we could be inside where it's warm rather than outside in the bitter cold January weather.

I made my way to the lobby of our apartments before heading outside to find a cab to take to the bowling alley.

I walked down the street, waving at taxis that just passed by and I huffed in annoyance, giving up and just walking to the bowling alley on my own.

This resulted in me showing up 10 minutes late, slightly annoyed and freezing cold. I stepped inside and immediately found Ashton, who smiled when he saw me but then frowned I'm assuming at the look of annoyance that was probably plastered on my face.

"Hey," he said, approaching me. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, sorry I'm late," I said, sighing and letting Ashton help me take my coat off. "I couldn't catch a cab so I had to walk here."

"Oh," he said, folding my jacket over his arm as he gently took my wrist to walk with me towards the counter to get our rental shoes and lanes open. "I could have picked you up if I'd known you couldn't drive."

"That's okay," I said. "It's easier just walking around anyways. It makes me feel more independent."

"Independent? Don't tell me you're one of those girls who insists on paying for herself," he teased, nudging my arm slightly.

"Not always," I smiled back, immediately feeling my annoyance dissolving.

"Good evening," the woman behind the counter said to us, looking highly annoyed and like she didn't actually want us to have a good evening. "Shoe size?"

After agreeing on 3 games for a best 2 out of 3 match and getting our rental shoes, Ashton and I made our way down to the lanes and Ashton put our jackets on the back of the chairs while I sat to tie my shoes. As Ashton was tying his I put our names into the system.

"Your turn is first," I said as Ashton stood from finishing tying his shoes.

"Alright," he smirked. "Guess I have to set the standards for you to beat."

"Oh that'll be easy," I bragged, smirking back at him as he picked out a ball to use.

"We'll see about that," he moved to the lane as I sat down after putting my own ball in the rack and watching Ashton bowl his first ball.

He moved with ease as he tossed the ball effortlessly down the lane, a flawless spin going right into the front pin and at first I thought he was going to get a strike. All the pins knocked down... except for the 7 and 10.

"No!" he playfully yelled, tangling his fingers in his hair and laughing as he watched the machine sweep the knocked down pins out of the way.

"7/10 split, that's harsh." I shook my head, crossing my arms as he made his way over to the rack to retrieve his ball now coming up from the machine.

"I'll get this, don't worry," he said as he picked up the ball and held it in his hands, moving to the lane again.

He looked as though he was seriously scoping out his strategy and how to get these 2 pins, but once he lined himself up and was about the throw the ball, he turned around and threw the ball between his legs and down the lane, landing it directly in the gutter within the first 5 feet down the lane.

I started laughing hysterically as he pranced back over to me while I stood to grab my ball.

"You definitely had that one," I said to him and he grinned.

"I knew I wasn't going to get it anyways," he shrugged. "Let's see what you've got, Taylor Parks."

-

"You cheated!" Ashton yelled at me as I bowled my last ball, earning a strike and beating his final score by 2 points.

I had won the first game and he won the second, and then I won the third and final game, Ashton now accusing me of cheating. I just laughed because I knew I'd won fair and square.

I changed back into my boots, pulling my jacket on as I put my ball back and carried my shoes to the counter and walked with Ashton to the parking lot.

"Do you want a ride home?" he asked. "I don't really want you walking home alone or taking a cab in the dark."

I hesitated. I didn't really want to walk home alone in the dark and I knew if Luke found out I did he'd kill me, especially since Ashton just offered to take me home.

"Yeah, that would be nice," I smiled. He smiled back and we walked across the parking lot to a small truck parked horribly close to a parking line.

"Asshole parking?" I laughed and he stuck his tongue out at me.

"I've never been good at parking. I'm surprised I passed my drivers test in high school."

I got in the passenger seat of his truck as he started the car, immediately turning the heat on while I shivered in my jacket.

"Do you want to go get pie or ice cream or something?" he asked as he pulled his seatbelt on, me doing the same.

"Ice cream in the middle of January?" I laughed.

"I eat ice cream in the winter and hot chocolate in the summer. Sue me for it," he smirked, pulling out of the parking spot.

"You get more and more strange every time I learn a new fact about you," I said.

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult."

"I'm not either."

A short silence took us both over before Ashton said, "So yeah ice cream?"

"Do you like Dairy Queen?" I asked.

"Dairy Queen is exactly what I was thinking," he smiled.

As we sat down and waited for our ice cream, Ashton sighed and leaned back. "So what brings you to Seattle?"

"What makes you think I haven't lived here my whole life and haven't just showed up at Starbucks the past 6 months," I challenged, not wanting to give away too much information.

"Well it was just a guess. so you have lived in Seattle your whole life?" he asked.

"No," I said. "I've only lived here for 6 months."

"Where are you from?" he asked.

"Albany, Oregon," I said. "I hated it there."

"Why'd you move?" he asked.

"Fresh start I guess," I shrugged. "How long have you lived in Seattle?" I turned the attention back on him.

"6 years," he said. "I came to the University of Washington for college and once I graduated I got a job and decided to stay here because I liked it so much."

I nodded. it sounded legitimate. Seattle was nice and I wasn't intending on leaving any time soon if I didn't need to.

I was relieved when the guy brought us our sundaes and set them on the table for us. I got right into mine, racking my brain for something else to talk about with Ashton.

"How's Luke doing?" Luckily I think Ashton got the message that I didn't want to talk about myself anymore and he changed the subject on his own.

"He's doing great," I smiled. "He's excited about finally graduating in a few months and hopefully getting a real job."

"He seems like a cool guy," Ashton said. "How did you guys meet?"

"Well, it's actually kinda funny," I laughed a little before explaining to Ashton about how we actually met and how he ended up moving into my apartment with me while he does online college classes in the morning and works part time at Starbucks in the afternoon and evenings.

"I bet tons of girls end up in your apartment a lot," Ashton said. "Luke is a really nice guy and girls flirt with all the time."

"No not really," I said. "Girls coming to our apartment that is. He's kind of like an older brother to me so he feels like it would be a bit awkward if some girl came to our apartment and found me there, not to mention the fact that he's really focused on getting his school work done so he can graduate."

Ashton nodded. "I seriously thought you guys were together, the way he looks at you and talks to you when you walk in, and how he puts his arm around you when you guys leave."

"What do you mean the way he looks at me?" I laughed.

"His face like, lights up when he sees you walk into the building," he smiled. "He literally turns into the sun. He must be very protective of you."

"Yeah, he's quite territorial at times," I said, taking the last bite of my sundae. "Although he seemed quick to send me on a date with you. Do you guys know each other or something?"

"No, not really," he shook his head, finishing off his sundae as well. "He knows me as a regular customer but that's it."

"Weird," I said. I stood with the empty plastic container that held my sundae, as did Ashton and I threw away the container as we made our way to the door.

Our conversation continued onto various topics on the way home while I directed him to my apartment complex.

"Thank you for tonight, Ashton. I had a lot of fun," I said at my door, after he insisted on walking me up.

"I had fun as well. I'd love to do it again sometime," he smiled.

"I'll see you around," I smiled back.

Ashton leaned forward and for a moment I was scared he was going to kiss me. I wasn't ready for that kind of step just yet but he wrapped his arms around me in a friendly hug, and I hugged him back, relieved that that's all it was. He smelled of fresh cedar and cinnamon, a surprisingly calming scent.

He pulled away too soon and smiled at me. "Goodnight Taylor Parks."

"Goodnight Ashton Irwin," I giggled before walking inside.


	5. Chapter 5

I groaned as my alarm clock buzzed in my ear at 6:30 in the morning, pulling me from my nice slumber I'd fallen into shortly after showering once I'd gotten home from being with Ashton. I turned it off and dragged myself out of bed, grabbing an outfit for the day and making my way to the bathroom to curl my hair.

Within a half hour I had my hair curled loosely and my makeup done and completely dressed before I made my way out into the kitchen to get something to eat before heading out the door.

I heard a muffled groan down the hall and I knew Luke was getting up and I shook my head. He'd never been a morning person and some days I had to literally drag him out of bed.

A few minutes later Luke shuffled into the kitchen in his pajamas with crazy bed head and morning voice.

"Good morning sunshine," I smiled at him.

"Kiss my ass," he mumbled.

"Hey! That's not very nice," I pouted, getting the creamer from the fridge. "I'm making coffee and if you keep that up I'll take the entire pot to myself."

"No."

Luke walked over to the coffee pot to pour himself a glass while I stirred the creamer in mine, taking a bite of my toast. He sipped at his coffee while I finished up my toast and went into my bedroom to get my bag before heading back into the kitchen to say goodbye to Luke before leaving.

The bus ride to the publishing agency I worked at was short and simple, as it always is. I got off and walked inside, greeting my coworker in the elevator on the way up to my office.

"Good morning Taylor," he smiled at me, pushing his hair back off his forehead.

"Good morning Michael," I smiled back at him as he pressed the button for his own floor.

"How's the reading coming along?" he teased me. We had a joke about the fact that my job literally consists of reading stories and fixing conventional errors.

"It's coming along wonderfully," I smiled. "And the simple addition?"

"Oh it's coming along absolutely fantastic," he smiled back even bigger.

We shared a laugh before I got off on my floor before Michael wished me a good day.

-

I worked through the Monday how it usually went, simple, slightly tiring and boring at times. I got through one entry that was loaded with errors. I cringed and was tempted to throw it away before I was even halfway through it.

I stopped in the bathroom before leaving to Starbucks to change into more comfortable clothes and then walked the couple blocks to the little building.

As soon as I walked in, I saw Luke make eye contact with me and I immediately knew what was coming. He wasn't awake enough to interrogate me about Ashton that morning.

"So Taylor, you failed to tell me about what all went down last night with Ashton," Luke said to me as soon as I approached the register, beginning to put in my usual order.

"Don't bother, I'm not feeling any drinks but water right now," I said, ignoring his comment.

"What did you guys do?" he asked, getting a cup of water for me.

"Um I told you," I said. "We went bowling."

"Did you guys go back to his house and do the dirty?" Luke wiggled his eyebrows at me.

"You're ridiculous," I said, taking my water from him.

I stepped away from the counter to head to my usual spot but stopped when Luke said, "The usual?"

I turned back around to see Luke smiling at a dark haired boy, who also was smiling at Luke and said, "That'll be the one."

I looked questioningly between the two of them. Luke was friendly with his regular customers but this one seemed especially friendly.

"Oh, Taylor this my friend Calum, Calum this is my roommate Taylor," Luke introduced the two of us.

Calum turned his friendly smile to me and held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"You as well," I smiled back. I already liked the vibe Calum gave off.

"I'm going to sit down Luke," I said. "I'll be reading until your shift is over."

Luke nodded as i walked over to the couch and pulled my book out of my bag, getting lost in it and before long Luke's shift was already over and he was getting my attention to leave.

"No Ashton today?" Luke asked me, taking my elbow as we walked home.

"No, he only comes on Tuesdays and Thursdays," I reminded him.

"Oh yeah that's right," he nodded. "So you'll get to see him tomor--" Luke stopped midsentence to sneeze. "Tomorrow."

"Are you alright?" I stopped and put my arm over Luke's forehead. "You feel feverish."

"I'm not feeling the greatest," he said. "I think it's just a cold."

"You should stay home from work," I said. "You don't want to get worse."

"I don't really want to miss work Taylor," he sighed.

"But you could end up missing more if you get worse," I said. "You're staying home."

He rolled his eyes. "Okay mom."

"Let's get home so I can make some soup for you to feel better," I said, taking Luke by his forearm and continuing to walk towards our apartment.


	6. Chapter 6

"You better not go to work today," I said to Luke as I gave him his oatmeal I'd made for him for breakfast before I went out the door for work.

The day dragged on and during my lunch break I called Luke to check in on him to see how he was doing. He was sitting in the living room when I called, having finished his online classes for the day and was playing GTA on our x-box, which was better than him trying to go to work.

I decided to skip my usual stop at Starbucks to come right home to make food for Luke and run him a hot bath. It was pouring down rain outside and I was soaked when I walked in our apartment, shivering from the cold.

I pulled off my drenched rain jacket and walked into the living room, where Luke was snoring on the couch. He stirred when I walked in, probably from my chattering teeth and looked up at me.

"Taylor? What the hell, did you go swimming or something?" He sat up and looked at me in concern.

"No, it is raining buckets outside," I said, unlacing my boots and pulling them off my feet, along with my soaking wet socks.

"Come here, you must be freezing." I felt Luke's hands around my forearm pulling me to the couch with him. I leaned into his warm body and he wrapped his arms around me. I immediately felt more warm.

"I need to go make you some dinner," I said, though I didn't want to get up from where I was sitting with him. I was warm and I was exhausted from the day and didn't want to do anything else.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "You look exhausted. I can make something for myself."

"No, I don't want you getting your germs all over everything in the kitchen," I teased him, smiling and getting up despite my body not wanting to move.

He stuck his tongue out at me as I walked into the kitchen to make some sort of soup for Luke. I searched the cupboards and got out a can of chicken soup to heat up and put some bread in the toaster.

Within 10 minutes, I had two bowls of soup with toast sitting on the table for Luke and I to have for dinner.

"Luke come in here, your soup is ready," I called softly into the dark living room.

Luke trudged into the kitchen with a blanket wrapped around his head and body, squinting at the light of the kitchen. He sat down and slowly brought the spoon of soup to his lips and sipped at it.

I finished mine in no time, informing Luke I was going to run him a hot bath, which he nodded at and I walked into the bathroom. I poured lavender bubble bath into bathtub and turned on the hot water, hot enough to relax the skin but not hot enough to make you light headed.

I set out a warm towel and pajamas for Luke on the bathroom shelf and turned off the water when the tub was full, going into the kitchen where Luke was putting his bowl in the sink.

"The water is run and there's a warm towel and pajamas fresh out of the dryer folded on the shelf for you," I told him, taking his bowl from him and shooing him out of the kitchen to wash the dishes.

I finished them and had cleaned the kitchen in no time and I changed into my own pajamas before I walked into the living room and put on some show on TV to occupy myself with for a while.

I suddenly felt a warm presence next to me and Luke was sitting on the couch next to me, in a new blanket cuddling into my side. I wrapped my arms around him and let him lay his head in my lap.

"Thank you for taking care of me Tay," he said softly, closing his eyes. I brushed my fingers through his damp hair.

Before I knew it, Luke was half asleep and I nudged him, waking him up. I knew there was no way I could carry him to his own bed.

I sent him off to bed before I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth and take a shower. I dried my hair before I headed to bed and fell asleep almost immediately.


	7. Chapter 7

I walked in the door of Starbucks Thursday morning and immediately saw Luke behind the counter, who was feeling much better than the previous days. I had to do a similar routine with him the night before when he stayed home feeling a little better but still quite under the weather. I was glad to see him feeling better and back to work.

I walked up to the counter and placed a five dollar bill on the counter. "How has your day been?" I asked.

He shrugged. "It's been alright." Luke began to put in my usual order. By now we'd gotten into a routine and he knew exactly what I was going to order.

"Any sneezing?" I asked, smiling at him. He'd been sneezing nonstop the past couple days.

"A little," he shrugged. He handed me my change back and began to make my drink.

While Luke made my drink I looked around the building, observing the people of Starbucks. I spotted Ashton in a corner, away from my usual spot looking extremely interested in a magazine he was reading. What the hell? He told me when we went bowling that he didn't like reading and avoided reading at all costs.

I turned back around to Luke, who gave me a smirk and handed me my drink. He'd seen me watching Ashton.

I felt my cheeks flush. "I was just--"

"Mhm." He walked away from the counter with his smirk still plastered on his face, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

I rolled my eyes and turned around, going to head to my usual seat. I glanced over at Ashton again, who was looking at me and whipped his head back down behind his magazine as soon as I made eye contact with him.

I rolled my eyes again and sat down in my usual spot. He was acting weird today.

Sitting down, I opened my phone and began to scroll through Instagram.

I glanced up to see Ashton staring at me again and when he noticed that I noticed he ducked his head behind his magazine again.

I watched him for a minute, and he didn't budge so I continued to scroll through my phone.

After another few minutes, I looked up again and Ashton was yet again watching me.

"What the hell?" I said aloud after he ducked behind the magazine again.

I got up from where I was sitting and walked over to Ashton and ripped the magazine from his hands. He looked up at me, hunched over and gave me a small smile. "Hey Taylor Parks."

"What are you doing?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"Well see, I was kind of stalking you the way I used to before I talked to you," he said casually, leaning back against his chair.

"Why?" I looked at him like he was crazy. Maybe he was.

"Because... You weren't here on Tuesday." He frowned.

"So? Luke was sick and I was at home taking care of him."

"Oh." Ashton's face changed.

"Why? Where did you think I was?" I asked.

"I don't know, I thought that maybe you were mad at me because you didn't like how things went on Sunday or something, or maybe the fact that I hugged you was pushing it too soon or something," he said. "I don't know." He added after I stared at him in silence.

"Why would I think that hugging was pushing too far?" I finally asked.

"I don't know!" He said. "But I'm certainly glad that I was wrong."

I continued to stare at him for a moment, and he offered me a smile.

"Come here," he said, holding his arms out and gesturing to the seat next to him. "Let's do something this weekend."

I sat down with him and he scooted closer to me and put his arm around the back of the couch. "So what kinds of things do you like to do?"

"I like eating." Wow what a genius answer Taylor.

Ashton chuckled. "Well we could go out to dinner or something."

"What type of food?" I asked. "I'm kind of picky when it comes to food I'm not making on my own."

"Well what kinds of food do you like?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I like Italian food."

"Olive Garden?"

"Oh don't take me to my favorite restaurant on our first dinner date, Ashton Irwin," I said, shaking my head at him.

"So you do like Olive Garden?" he asked.

"Well duh," I remarked. "I just don't want you to take me to my favorite restaurant on our first dinner date."

"Well since you like Italian so much, I know a little Italian sandwich shop downtown and we can go eat there," he said.

"That sounds fantastic," I smiled.

"You'll really like these," he said. "They're the best Italian sandwiches I've ever had. They put so much cheese on them and they toast them perfectly so they're crunchy but like melt in your mouth."

"Hey Taylor are you ready to go?" Luke asked, appearing in front of me with his jacket already on, picking up my purse and jacket for me.

"Yes." I stood from my spot next to Ashton, who looked a bit disappointed that I was leaving.

"I'll see you tomorrow night at 7, Taylor Parks," Ashton smiled at me.

"See you then." I gave him a small wave back.

-

"Why is it always 'Taylor Parks'?" Luke asked me while I sat at the table, flipping through the newspaper I'd missed that morning.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"He always uses your full name," he said. "Has he ever just called you Taylor or Tay?"

"Ashton? No I don't think so," I replied.

"Well it's weird." Luke's thumb flicked over his phone, obviously scrolling through something really quickly and not bothering to like anything.

"Are you going to make me dinner?" I asked. "I made you dinner three nights in a row."

"I just want to order pizza," Luke sighed, locking his phone and setting it down. "I'm too tired to cook anything."

"Pizza is good," I nodded. "Hawaiian?"

"Yes. Let's have them tell us a joke too."

"No please. They're always so cheesy." I shook my head.

"Was that a pizza joke?" Luke wiggled his eyebrows at me.

"Oh my god just order the pizza," I said and Luke let out a laugh and walked into the living room with his phone to call and order.


	8. Chapter 8

"You didn't come to Starbucks tonight," Luke said, walking into the bathroom while I stood in my robe and curled my hair.

"Yeah, I wanted time to get ready for tonight." I loosened the curling iron from my hair and let my fresh curl fall down my shoulder.

"What's tonight?" Luke propped up the toilet seat and started peeing.

"Nice." I rolled my eyes at him. Sometimes it seemed like he was a little too comfortable around me.

"What are you doing tonight? Plans with Ashton?" Luke ignored my comment and flushed the toilet, putting the seat back down and nudging me with his side out of the way so he could wash his hands.

"Yes," I replied. "He's taking me to dinner at a little Italian cafe."

"Italian? Fancy." He dried his hands on the hand towel and took off his pants, tossing them into the dirty laundry hamper.

"It's not that fancy," I said, curling the last few strands of my hair that were left.

"Well it's fancy considering tonight I am going to make macaroni and cheese in my underwear," Luke said back as he unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it into the hamper as well, leaving him in only his underwear.

"You go ahead and have fun with that," I said. "I need to do my makeup."

"I need to do my makeup," Luke mimicked me in a girly voice, walking out of the bathroom, flipping imaginary long hair off his shoulder and strutting out.

I laughed and rolled my eyes at him and I heard the TV turn on in the living room and I already knew Luke had plans for watching Netflix and eating cheap food all weekend.

I pulled out my bag of makeup from under the sink and retouched the makeup I'd put on this morning for work, which took me less than 10 minutes to do. I left the bathroom after checking my hair one last time and headed to my bedroom to get dressed.

I decided on a sweater and skinny jeans, what I usually wear. I pulled on my laced brown boots and my forest green jacket and grabbed my purse to head into the living room.

Right as I was walking into the hallway to head to the living room, the doorbell rang and Luke opened the door right in his underwear, obviously not caring who was there.

"Hello Ashton," Luke said, stepping aside for Ashton to come in. "You're right on time."

"Hey," I smiled at Ashton, who was wearing a grey sweater and black skinny jeans, his curly hair in a mess over his head.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked, smiling at me as well.

I nodded and walked with Ashton out the door and we headed down the elevator to his car.

"I'm so sorry about Luke answering the door in his underwear," I said once we sat and he turned the heat on a little, warming me up already.

"That's alright," he laughed. "He has no shame."

"I don't understand him sometimes," I said. "He is so comfortable just walking around with no clothes on, it's weird."

"Well hey, I like to walk around my own house with no clothes on," he said. "You actually find it quite satisfying."

"I'm definitely not going to walk around my house with no clothes on."

"Well I appreciate that considering there is another man in your house," Ashton said, making me laugh.

In no time we were at the small cafe he was talking about, and he took my hand and walked inside with me.

"You'll love the sandwiches here," he said. "They're called panino."

"I think I've had one before," I said. "And I don't remember not liking it."

Ashton ordered us both a vegetarian panino, which had cheese, tomato and basil leaves in it and it was like eating Heaven itself.

"This is so wonderful," I said, taking another bite of the sandwich. "I never even doubt that I love Italian food more than anything else."

"I'm glad you enjoy it so much," he chuckled, taking a bite of his own sandwich.

After a few minutes, Ashton set his sandwich down and sighed, looking at the Italian framed posters on the walls. "I've always wanted to travel to Italy."

"Really?" I asked. "Why don't you?"

He shrugged. "No one to travel with?" He looked down from the wall and locked eyes with me.

"I've always wanted to travel Europe," I said. "Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, England, Italy. I love Europe."

"Why haven't YOU traveled to Europe then?" he asked, turning the question back onto me.

"Well..." I trailed off, looking down at the remaining half of my sandwich. "A lot of things have gotten in the way of my plans for my life."

"How?" he asked. "I don't think you should ever let anything get in the way of you chasing after what you want."

"It's a long story..." I laughed nervously. "A really long story that's really boring anyways."

"I want to hear about it," Ashton said, folding his hands on the table in front of us and leaning in a little closer. "I love stories and I don't think you could bore me."

"It really isn't that big of a deal," I said. "We should get some Gelato. I want dessert. I'll pay." I started to get up, but Ashton stopped me.

"Taylor." He looked me in the eyes. "You're acting weird. Can't you just tell me?"

My heart rate started to pick up. "Umm... It's just because I don't have the money to travel." I shrugged. "I mean Europe is expensive and I share an apartment with a college student."

"That was an awfully short explanation for it being such a long and boring story." Ashton raised an eyebrow at me.

"Well I don't want to get into it right now Ashton!" I started to freak out before I could realize what I was doing. "You can't just walk into my life and try to ask questions and know everything about me!"

I got up from the table and grabbed my purse and jacket from the chair, quickly pulling my jacket on as I walked towards the door.

"Taylor, wait!" Ashton stood from the table as well, pulling out a 20 dollar bill and tossing it on the table before following after me.

"I'm not trying to just come in and question you about your life Taylor," Ashton said as I walked quickly down the sidewalk, but he was too fast for me.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore Ashton!" I stopped on the sidewalk, waving to a taxi.

"I'll drive you home," Ashton said.

"No," I said. "Leave me alone Ashton."

The taxi pulled over and I stepped in the passenger seat and told the taxi driver my address before Ashton could get in the car with me.


	9. Chapter 9

I went up the elevator as quickly as I could, more tears pouring out my eyes the longer it took to get up to my floor. I rushed down the hall and pounded on the door of my shared apartment with Luke, remembering that I'd left my key inside by accident.

Luke opened the door, looking confused with his hair in a mess all over his head and I knew I'd interrupted his show on Netflix. His look of confusion changed to concern when he saw my face.

"Oh my god," he took my hand and pulled me into his chest. "Taylor, tell me what happened right now."

About 10 minutes later I was sitting on the couch in our living room with a glass of water telling Luke the rundown of what happened with Ashton.

"You just left?" Luke said.

I nodded. "He was trying to be so nosy. I don't want him knowing everything just yet, Luke."

"I don't think he was trying to be nosy, Taylor," Luke said. "He was just trying to get to know more about you. You know, you are kinda hard to figure out."

"Well he doesn't need to figure me out!" I said. "I just met him a couple weeks ago!"

"And he obviously has an interest in you," Luke said. "He only wants to get to know you better, or he wouldn't have tried so hard to get you in the first place. And I know you have an interest in him too."

I sighed, taking a sip of my water and staring at the coffee table in front of me. "I don't know what to do. I'm new to this whole dating thing."

"Just call him and apologize. Or ask him to go get lunch tomorrow so you guys can talk it out," Luke said.

"I don't want to call him tonight," I shook my head.

"No, not tonight," Luke shook his head. "You should get to bed and sleep it off tonight and take care of it tomorrow. It's getting late anyways. I was going to get to bed after this episode was over."

I nodded, getting up from the couch and heading to the bathroom.

I took off my jacket and my jeans, pulling my hair up into a ponytail while I washed the smeared makeup off of my face and took off my sweater and bra, wrapping my robe around me and brushing my teeth before I went back into my room and pulled on my pajama shorts and a t-shirt.

Luke was putting away his leftover macaroni and cheese when I went into the kitchen and he came up to me and gave me a hug. "Go get some sleep."

I nodded and he kissed my forehead softly before releasing me to go to my bedroom and sleep.

-

I got up in the morning to make breakfast for Luke. I made pancakes, bacon and eggs, knowing how much Luke loves big breakfasts. He woke while I was in the middle of finishing up the last of the eggs and pancakes and putting them on a couple plates for us.

"It smells like Heaven in here," he said, sitting at the table after I handed him the plate. He had finally put on a t-shirt and sweats so at least he was no longer roaming the house in his boxers.

"I made breakfast to make up for ruining your Netflix date last night," I said, pouring us both a glass of orange juice and handing him one before sitting at the table with my own breakfast.

"You didn't ruin it," he said, taking a rather large bite of pancakes. "You haven't called Ashton yet have you?"

"No, I just woke up to make breakfast," I said. "I'll call him afterwards."

Luke nodded, finishing his bite of pancakes and going right in for another.

I took a bit longer to finish my own food, making sure I could buy myself enough time to figure out what exactly I was going to say to Ashton. Luke was right; I was overreacting last night and I owed him an apology and a second chance at that.

"I'm going to take a shower," Luke said, putting his plate in the sink. "And you better have talked to Ashton by then."

"Yeah, yeah," I rolled my eyes, putting my own plate in the sink before I went into my room to get my phone.

I heard the shower water start and I knew Luke didn't take very long showers. I took a deep breath before I dialed Ashton's number and closed my eyes as it rang.

"Taylor?" Ashton's voice sounded hoarse.

"Ashton, hey," I said, sitting on my bed. "I didn't wake you did I?"

"Um, you did but it's okay," he said. I heard rustling around on the other end. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. "Can we meet up for lunch somewhere? I want to talk. I'll pay."

"You don't need to pay," he said. "And yeah, that's fine. Where do you want to meet up?"

"I really insist on paying," I said. "And I don't know, where do you like to eat?"

Ashton chuckled. "I don't really care. There a burger joint just down the street from where you live. We could go there."

"Okay, yeah, sounds great." I nodded even though he couldn't see me. "I'll meet you there at 1."

"Okay. I'll see you then." Ashton hung up and I let out a breath, setting my phone down on my bed and checked the time. It was only 9:30, I hadn't realized how early it was.

A few minutes later I heard the bathroom door open and Luke emerged in only a towel.

"Do you ever wear clothes?" I asked.

"Yes." Luke walked towards his own room. "Just when it's necessary."

I rolled my eyes and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth, then decided to take a shower as well. I didn't take long, not bothering to shave my legs or anything. I blow dried my hair when I got out and went into my room to get dressed.

I put on leggings, a long sleeved shirt and fuzzy socks, not bothering to put effort into my outfit for the time being. I decided to pass some time by washing a load of laundry and doing the dishes from breakfast.

I went into the living room to gather the bowl and glass Luke had from his macaroni and cheese the night before and Luke walked into the living room, stopping me before I walked into the kitchen.

"What?" I asked. He took the bowl from my hands and set it down, and I was about to protest before he pulled me into a hug and I sighed against his chest.

"Did you talk to Ashton?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, we're going to get burgers at one," I said, pulling away and going to pick up the bowl.

"You're so tense," Luke said, looking at me in concern.

"I just want to get the dishes done and the floors need to be vacuumed and--"

"Go finish washing the dishes," Luke said, cutting me off. "I'll vacuum the floors and you can sit and relax before you go meet up with Ashton."

I nodded, taking the dishes into the kitchen to wash them before I made myself a cup of tea and sat at the table sipping at it and watching the news on my phone while Luke vacuumed the floors.

Before I knew it, it was 12:30 and I realized I needed to do something with my appearance before going to see Ashton. I changed into jeans but kept my shirt on and brushed my hair, putting on a minimal amount of makeup just so I didn't look like a zombie.

"I'm gonna head out to go see Ashton," I said to Luke, who was sitting on the couch listening to someone ramble on the phone.

"Okay," he said, pulling the phone away from his mouth and giving me a smile. I made sure I had my house key this time and went to walk out the door.

I knew the place Ashton was talking about, which was only about a 10 minute walk from our apartment. I showed up at around 12:55 to find Ashton was already at a table waiting for me.

"Hey," I said nervously as he stood and pulled my chair out for me.

"Hello," he smiled back. "You seem really uptight right now. Is something going on?"

"No," I shook my head as he sat down in his own chair across from me. "I just wanted to apologize for the way I acted last night. It was completely out of line and I took it way too personally."

"No, I completely understand," Ashton said. "I was being pushy and I shouldn't have been. I don't know you very well and I just want to learn more about you, you know? I didn't mean to seem like I was trying to get in on every detail of your life."

"I know you weren't," I said. "I overreacted and I am sorry."

"Well it's all done and over with now," he said. "And I'm hungry, so let's order some burgers."

After we had our burgers brought to us and we'd been talking and eating for a little while, we began talking about plans again and I could almost feel the tension rising up again.

"What particularly do you want to see at all the countries you want to visit?" Ashton asked me.

"Well I mean, every girl wants to go see the Eiffel Tower, doesn't she?" I laughed. "And of course Ireland and all the green, and England with the Cliffs of Dover and the cities and the cute boys with British accents."

"I'm pretty sure the 'cute boys' stereotype about England isn't as true as it's made out to be," Ashton teased.

"You're only saying that because you're not a cute British boy," I teased back.

"Well I'm definitely not British, but am I at least cute?" he smirked.

"A little," I shrugged, smirking back at him.

Ashton placed his hand over his heart and looked hurt, which made me laugh.

"You're a dork," I said.

"I know." He smiled.

After a few seconds of silence, he said, "I don't want to sound pushy or anything, and I certainly don't want a repeat of last night, but do you think you could tell me even a shortened version of this long story? I want to know what's stopping you from chasing what you want so that I can change that for you."

I hesitated. "Well... There were just a lot of things that happened in the past that limited a lot of my possibilities. I don't exactly want to go into details about it right now, but I made some mistakes and because of them I don't know if I'll even be able to stay in Seattle for a while."

"You're leaving?" Ashton asked, looking concerned.

"No," I shook my head quickly. "At least, not any time soon... I hope."

Ashton looked completely baffled.

"Trust me, I know it doesn't make sense, but I really don't want to get into it right now," I said, taking a sip of my drink.

"Okay." Ashton nodded, waving a waiter to our table to ask for the bill.

"I'll pay," I said, taking out my wallet.

"No, I got it," he shook his head, pulling out his own wallet.

"No really, Ashton," I said. "I ruined our date last night and I want to make up for it."

"You made up for it by being pretty and asking to come here in the first place," he winked.

"No, Ashton seriously." I blushed at his compliment but stood my ground.

"Alright, how about we pay for ourselves?" Ashton suggested.

"Fine." I sighed, pulling out a 20.

The waiter came by with the bill and Ashton gave two 20's to the waiter before I could even react.

"You ass!" I yelled as she walked away with the money, Ashton laughing, obviously amused by his cleverness.

He sat and smiled at me as I crossed my arms and glared at him. "That was not fair."

"You gotta be quicker than that," he said, standing up and pulling his jacket on.

"I'm going to get back at you for that," I warned, standing and pulling my own jacket on my shoulders.

Ashton and I walked out of the restaurant and he offered me a ride home, which I gratefully accepted.

"Thank you for meeting up with me," I said as I got out of his truck.

"Well thank you for the offer," he smiled, leaning across the console to look at me as I stood outside his truck.

"I should see you Tuesday at Starbucks then," I said.

"Yes." He nodded.

"Okay."

"I'll see you then," Ashton smiled and gave me a wink before I closed the door and he drove away and I sighed, watching him go before I headed back up to my apartment.


	10. Chapter 10

I heard a knock on my office door, and I looked up in confusion from my work and called out, "come in."

Michael's head appeared in the doorway and he smiled at me. "Hello Taylor."

"Hi Michael," I smiled back at him. "Come sit down." I moved my paper to the side as Michael stepped in.

"Oh, I won't be long," he said. "I was just coming to tell you that Mr. Styles scheduled a last minute meeting for tomorrow afternoon at 4, and he would like you to be there."

"Okay," I nodded, turning and flipping my planner open to write it in. "Anything else?"

"Um... Yeah actually," he stepped a bit closer to my desk. "I'm having a house party this Friday at 7 and I wanted to invite you and Luke to come to it."

"Yeah sure," I smiled. "I'll let him know, and I'll definitely be there."

"Okay sounds great. Have a wonderful afternoon, Taylor."

"Thanks, you too," I replied as he turned and walked out the door to my office.

-

"How was work?" Luke asked as we sat at the table and ate our lasagna dinner.

"It was alright," I said. "I have a last minute meeting at 4 tomorrow so it may or may not end on time and I might end up coming to meet you late or just come right home."

"Okay," Luke nodded. "Text me ahead of time so I don't leave without you."

"I will," I nodded. "Luke, this lasagna is amazing."

"It's my mom's recipe," he smiled proudly. I'd met Luke's mom a few times before. She was so sweet, and her cooking was amazing. It didn't surprise me at all that this was his mom's recipe.

"We need to visit her again soon don't we?" I said, taking a sip of my milk.

"Yes we do," he nodded. "She called me yesterday while you were at the store and she misses you. She wants to see your 'smiling face' again. Not sure where she got that from but she wants to see you again."

"You're so kind Luke," I rolled my eyes. I knew I had a tendency to look unhappy at times but it wasn't my fault. It was just my face.

"I think she tends to forget that we aren't dating anymore," he chuckled. "She referred to you as something corny that was assuming you were my girlfriend. Something like my 'sunshine' or some shit like that."

"That's cute," I said. "Being someone's sunshine. That must be an honor."

"Yeah, well it's definitely not you," Luke smiled at me.

"Yeah? Who is she?" I asked teasingly.

"What?" Luke blushed. "No one. I told you I'm not seeing anyone right now. I haven't had a girlfriend in like 5 months and before you like 4 months before that."

"You're bright red, Luke. Tell me about her."

"There is no girl in my life," he said defensively.

"Oh? Is there a boy? You know I'd accept you for who you--"

"No! Oh my god, Taylor please." Luke put his fork down and rubbed his head, making me laugh at him.

We finished the last of our dinner and I washed the dishes, going in to take a quick shower before getting ready to go to bed.

-

2 hours.

A meeting that would normally only take a half hour took two hours and it was 6 before I was in the bathroom changing into my jeans to go out into the cold air to walk to Starbucks.

I sent Luke a quick text that I was on my way to Starbucks as I walked down the street, hugging my jacket tighter around my body as the cold wind whipped around me, blowing my once nicely done hair all around me.

I readjusted my bag on my shoulder as I pressed the button at a cross walk, waiting for the white light to show up for me to cross the street. My teeth chattered as I walked across the street.

Luke normally got off work at 6:30 so if I got there quick enough I would have about 15 minutes to sit and talk with Ashton and get myself some tea or an apple spice.

I walked into the doors of Starbucks at 6:20 and quickly sat down, not bothering to get anything to drink because I knew I wouldn't have time to drink it and it would be cold by the time I got home anyways.

I ran my hands through my hair loosely, trying to get some of the tangles out when I looked across the room to see Ashton sitting and talking to another girl.

My heart stopped and before I could react, Luke was standing in front of me. "Hey, they let me off a few minutes early."

I looked up at Luke, then came to my senses and realized maybe Ashton was just having a friendly conversation with someone. Maybe she was flirting with him and he was just trying to be nice back and not shoot her down completely by telling her that he was seeing another girl.

Was he seeing me? What even were we? I'd only known him for a couple weeks but I felt as though after going on a couple dates he wouldn't be out looking at other girls. I certainly wasn't looking at other guys.

I looked back over at Ashton, who was leaning in a little while talking, smiling at her. He said something that made her laugh and she leaned forward as well and I cringed as she put her hand on his knee.

"I want to leave right now," I said calmly to Luke after I stood up and looked away, unable to bear watching them any longer.

"Are you alright?" Luke looked over to where he saw me looking and I looked as well, making quick eye contact with Ashton and I turned away.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Can we leave? Now?" I grabbed Luke's arm and walked out the door of Starbucks, avoiding any more eye contact with Ashton.

"Um, yeah," he mumbled, dragging behind me as I walked out the door as quickly as I could, trying to keep Ashton from following us out.

I was unsuccessful.

"Taylor!" I heard Ashton's voice behind us and I kept walking, trying ignore him and outrun him with Luke next to me.

"Taylor!" Ashton was next to me a moment later and I turned away, trying to put Luke between us.

"Luke make him leave!" I pleaded, turning away from Ashton.

"Taylor, please listen to me," Ashton tried to grab my arm but I pulled out of his grip.

"Luke please." I grabbed his arm and Luke looked down at me sympathetically, then back to Ashton.

"Ashton, I think you should go," he said, and I didn't turn to look at Ashton.

"Taylor please let me explain," Ashton said, desperation evident in his tone.

"Ashton." Luke looked down at him and took my arm, walking with me toward our apartment complex.

"I'll make dinner again tonight," Luke said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me close to him as we walked and I tried to think about anything but Ashton.

-

"What exactly happened back there?" Luke asked me as I sat at the table, having my phone put on nighttime mode after getting tired of Ashton trying to call and text me.

"Ashton was sitting and talking to another girl," I said, turning my phone over and over on the table in front of me.

"He was... Talking to another girl? Really Taylor?" Luke leaned forward, forcing me to make eye contact with him as I set my phone down on the table.

"Yes." I stared into Luke's piercing blue eyes. "He was laughing and she was laughing and he was leaning in while he was talking to her and she put her hand on his knee. There was obviously something more than just friendly conversation going on there."

"She put her hand on his knee?" Luke asked.

I nodded. "He said something, and she laughed and put her hand on his knee when she laughed. And he didn't flinch or pull away or anything."

"Well that's kind of a bitchy move," Luke said. "On both the girl and his part."

"I mean, it's not her fault," I mumbled, placing my elbow on the table and leaning into my hand. "I don't know her and it's not like he told her about me."

Luke sat in silence for a couple minutes before I stood from the table.

"You know, I should have known that he was too sweet and nice," I said. "I knew I got a strange feeling about him and I should have just gone with my instincts."

"There could be some logical explanation for it," Luke tried.

"I don't know what it could be, Luke. Do you have anything?" I walked over to the sink and filled a glass with water. God I needed a drink.

"I don't know either," he shrugged. "All I'm saying is maybe you should let him explain himself first."

"I shouldn't have to worry like this," I said. "It just won't feel right if I have to worry all the time that he's talking to another girl. I don't have attachment issues either. I'm just not going to sit and waste my time on someone who doesn't even want to spend his on me."

With that, I chugged the entire glass of water like it were vodka and walked out of the kitchen, burying my emotions by throwing myself in bed without bothering to take my jeans off.


	11. Chapter 11

"You know, Taylor, you're gonna have to face him sometime," Luke said as he walked in the kitchen, just getting home Friday evening as I was finishing up dinner.

"Why do you say that?" I asked. "I could not go to Starbucks for the rest of my life and my problem is solved."

"Oh please." Luke rolled his eyes. "You are a common white girl. There is no way you'd be able to just not go to Starbucks for the rest of your life."

I rolled my eyes at Luke, dishing our pasta onto a couple plates for dinner.

All week, I'd been ignoring phone calls from Ashton and coming straight home from work rather than stopping at Starbucks, not wanting to run into him. I didn't even bother going on days that weren't the days Ashton went just to be safe.

"I made dinner early so we can leave to make it to Michael's party by 7:15," I said, placing our plates on the table. "I won't need very long to get ready and I know you won't either."

Luke sat down and started digging in to his plate right away, finishing a good 5 minutes before I was done. He left the kitchen as I finished my own food and a minute later I heard the bathroom door shut.

I got up and went to my bedroom and got out a red dress to wear to Michael's party. I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth and touch up my hair and makeup before Luke came back in wearing a nice button up shirt with a tie and slacks.

"Are you ready to go?" Luke asked me as I pulled my shoes on and wrapped my jacket around my shoulders.

"Yes," I said, making sure I had my purse and apartment key before leaving with Luke outside.

We caught a cab to make it to a block away from Michael's house and walked the rest of the way, arriving right at 7:15 like I'd planned.

We walked up the front porch steps, knocking on the door. A girl with soft features and dark hair and eyes opened the door, smiling warmly at us as she stepped aside for us to come in.

Michael was right at the door a moment later, welcoming us. "Luke, Taylor, I'm so glad you guys could make it. This is my girlfriend, Julie. Julie, this is Taylor, my coworker and her roommate Luke."

"It's so nice to meet you guys." Julie hugged us both and escorted us into the kitchen, where there was wine, champagne and snack trays on the counter.

"Would you guys like a drink?" she asked as we walked in, joining a few other people in the room.

"No thank you," I shook my head. "Maybe later though."

"I'm not gonna be modest, I'll have some wine please," Luke smiled, looking down at me. I rolled my eyes at him.

As Julie poured Luke a glass of wine, I stopped to talk with a couple of my other coworkers.

"Taylor! I hardly see you around anymore," Niall, a blonde with blue eyes who worked in the editing branch smiled at me, pulling me in for a quick hug. "You're always glued into those stories that come in and you hardly join anyone for lunch."

"She's a bit of a recluse," Michael winked, joining the conversation and making me smile at them.

"I just like to get my job done," I shrugged, going along with their teasing.

Niall continued talking, telling me about his new girlfriend and how she always had something to gossip about and seemed to always know everything about everyone else in the building, and how she'd told him that there was a rumor going around that I was dating a college guy.

I laughed when Niall said that. "Oh no, he's just my roommate. I'm not dating anyone."

"Well I figured as much," Niall laughed as well. "Do you ever date anyone? You've been single for almost 6 months now haven't you? At least."

"Well... I mean I went on a couple dates with this guy recently but he turned out to be a total dick so yes, I am back to my single self," I shrugged.

"Aw, I'm sorry to hear that Taylor. There really are some assholes out there that don't know how to treat women right," Niall shook his head.

Oh believe me, I know all about that.

"Well it was nice chatting with you again, but I should really get going home. I need to be up way early tomorrow because I'm going to Portland to meet my girlfriend's parents," Niall said. "I'll see you around."

Niall gave me a smile and a friendly wave goodbye, which I returned before glancing around and deciding to go into the living room to see if there was anyone worth socializing with in there.

Bad idea.

"Taylor!" Michael smiled and waved me over, and I hesitated, looking between the kitchen again and Michael before deciding to just come over to him.

Ashton was standing and looking at some DVD's on a stand next to Michael and his head shot up and looked directly at me when he heard Michael call my name.

I stepped carefully over to Michael, who was holding a couple glasses of champagne and looked between Ashton and I, who were staring each other down. I couldn't exactly tell what his expression was and I'm sure he couldn't tell what mine was either.

"Taylor, this is Ashton, my friend from college, and Ashton this is Taylor, my coworker." Michael introduced us, still neither of us breaking eye contact.

"Yeah, I know him," I said, staring at Ashton.

"Small world, isn't it?" Ashton mumbled, still watching me intently.

Michael stood awkwardly for a moment. "Who wants champagne?"

I broke eye contact with Ashton to look at Michael before gratefully taking one of the glasses. I was going to need alcohol if I was going to survive this.

Ashton took the other glass, which Michael took as his cue to leave and scurried quickly out of the awkward situation and into the kitchen with Julie.

"You haven't answered any of my calls," Ashton said. "Or called me back."

"You're right," I nodded, taking a sip of my champagne.

"I think I deserve a chance to at least explain what was happening," Ashton said. "I know what it looked like and I think you deserve to know what was actually happening."

"Continue." This ought to be good.

"The girl I was sitting and talking with," Ashton started. "Her name is Jessica. I knew her in high school and she moved to Florida my senior year."

"Okay?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"We were catching up on what has happened the past 6 years," Ashton said. "I haven't seen her in a while and we dated for a short period of time my junior year."

"And...?"

"Well that's what we were doing. I was waiting for you to show up, and I was kinda worried because it took you a long time. I didn't know if something was going on or not, and then Jessica came in and she recognized me before I recognized her, and then she sat down and we started talking."

"You act like this explains the fact that you were leaning in while she was talking and she put her hand on your knee," I said flatly.

He rolled his eyes. "Jessica is a very touchy person. If I introduced you to her, she would pull you in for a hug and then probably slap your ass. She's just that type of person."

"Okay and that doesn't explain why you were leaning in," I crossed my arms after taking another gulp of my champagne.

"She said something funny, and I leaned forward because I laughed," Ashton said. "She's a funny person, she has a very bright personality. Besides, Taylor, I wouldn't be too worried about me flirting with her because she likes girls anyways."

"Wait," I said, slightly taken aback. "She's a lesbian?"

"Yes. Exactly." Ashton took a sip of his champagne, gauging my reaction.

"Wait, if she's a lesbian then why did you guys date in high school?" I asked.

"Because she didn't know she liked girls back then," he shrugged. "It was a really awkward relationship anyways. She would always get so uncomfortable whenever I'd try to kiss her or even hold her hand. And now I know why."

"And when did you find out she was a lesbian?" I asked.

"Well when we were catching up, she was telling me about how she's engaged to this girl and that she realized after we graduated that she just really wasn't into guys," he explained. "And then I told her I was seeing someone too, and she said she was happy for me but then..." He trailed off a little.

I scowled at Ashton, taking another last drink of my champagne before he looked down at me.

"I know what it looked like from the outside," Ashton said. "And I'm sorry that it came across that way. But Taylor, I can assure you that after a couple dates and starting to finally open you up a little bit and get to know you better, I wouldn't go flirting with some other girl. Especially not one who was only passing through and I may never even see her again and if I do it would probably be nowhere in the near future."

I sighed, debating whether or not his story seemed believable. 

"Would it be too far of a shot to ask for another chance?" Ashton asked, chewing his bottom lip a little.

"No," I said. "I suppose I did overreact a little bit."

"I completely understand why you reacted the way that you did," Ashton assured me, stepping forward towards me so that someone could get around him.

"Then yes, we can give it another try," I managed to smile, and Ashton smiled back at me.

"I want more champagne," Ashton said, walking into the kitchen and I wasn't far behind him to get myself another glass as well.


	12. Chapter 12

"I still don't think I'm over my hangover from Friday," Luke grumbled as he trudged into the kitchen, pouring himself some coffee while I ate my muffin at the table.

"Well you're not skipping classes or work today," I said. "You have an exam in a couple weeks, you need to study."

"I know mom," he rolled his eyes as he stirred the sugar into his cup and got a muffin to eat as well.

"Drink lots of water today," I said. "You should be over it soon enough and maybe next time you'll learn to not get piss drunk on wine and champagne."

"Yeah, yeah." Luke plopped down on the chair and started eating his muffin as I finished mine, heading to the bathroom to brush my teeth before I grabbed my jacket and bag and apartment key to head out the door.

"I'll see you later," I called to Luke before leaving and catching the bus to work.

Before I knew it, it was time for lunch and I decided to go down and eat lunch with the rest of my coworkers for once. Niall was right, I didn't really show myself much while I was at work.

I sat down at a table with Niall and Michael, who were discussing something related to a project they were working on together.

"Hey Taylor!" Niall waved and smiled at me, moving aside so I could sit by him across from Michael.

"Well this is unusual," Michael teased. "Decided you wouldn't be antisocial today?"

"Very funny," I teased back. "I figured you guys were right about what you said on Friday, I am a bit of a recluse sometimes."

"Speaking of Friday," Michael said as I got out my sandwich. "How's Luke doing? He could barely walk when you guys left."

"He thinks he's still hungover," I laughed. "Do hangovers even last over the span of a weekend?" I'd been hungover before but not for longer than 24 hours.

"Who knows," Michael laughed as well. "But he was pretty wasted on Friday."

"Yeah he was." I took a bite into my sandwich as Michael continued the conversation.

"So what was with you and Ashton?" Michael asked. "You guys looked like you wanted to kill each other when you first saw each other but by the time you were going to leave you were acting like a couple." He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

"Oh Taylor," Niall nudged me. "Not so single anymore now are you?"

"Well, it was a bit awkward because last week I saw what looked like him flirting with some other girl when I thought that it was pretty clear that we were a 'thing' or whatever you call it considering we'd already been on a few dates--"

"Whoa, wait a minute," Michael cut me off. "You didn't tell me you guys were dating."

I shrugged. "I don't know. We've been out a few times and I think it's progressing?" What were we?

"He's a nice guy," Niall nodded. "We're decently good friends and he's a bit strange, but he's not a bad person."

"But what do you mean what looked like flirting?" Michael asked. I always found it funny that Michael loved gossip as much as a teenage girl.

"Well it turned out to be his ex girlfriend from high school that's now a lesbian," I said. "I guess I overreacted a little bit."

"A lesbian?" Michael asked, almost laughing. "Taylor you must have a really weak gaydar."

"Yeah I guess you could say that," I laughed, although I was thinking about all the times I teased Luke about being gay.

"How was meeting your girlfriend's parents?" I asked Niall, changing the subject.

The rest of my lunch break went on hearing about Niall getting threatened to be shot if he ever tried anything on his new girlfriend, and then went into a few details about his "erotic" sex life with his girlfriend that I really didn't need to hear, and Michael listening intently for some tips for what he should try with Julie, which I took as my cue to head back and continue working.

I changed into jeans before leaving to meet with Luke at Starbucks after work and walked in to order some tea instead of an apple spice for once.

Luke and I made soup together, laughing about some things Luke was talking about with a coworker of his at work.

"No! The carrots need to be cut smaller you dingbat!" I swatted Luke's butt with a wet hand towel, giggling as he winced away from it and let out a yelp.

"Ow!" he squealed. "I will bend you over my knee and spank you!"

"Mmm kinky," I winked at him, which made him burst into a fit of laughter. I joined him, dumping the chopped up carrots into the soup.

"I am so ready for the weekend," Luke said, starting to slice bread to toast while I mixed the rest of the ingredients for our soup.

"It's only Monday, Luke," I rolled my eyes at how lazy he could be.

"I know," he groaned. "It sucks doesn't it?"

"Well what's so bad about the weekdays?" I asked. "Or what's so good about the weekend? Do you have a hot date?"

Luke blushed. "No, I do not have a hot date Taylor. I have told you already that I am not dating anyone."

"Well that doesn't mean you aren't seeing someone," I said. "And you're blushing so that's pretty much a dead giveaway that you have some plans for this weekend."

"Well Miss Nosy Pants, I made plans to go out Friday night to get some drinks with Calum and wanted to invite you and Ashton along but now that you're being annoying I might reconsider offering," he stuck his tongue out at me.

"Hey! No, I want to go out," I said. "I haven't been out in a long time and I've been wanting to go out and do something."

"Well then I would advise you to stop acting like my mom when I was in high school." Luke began putting the bread in the toaster and getting the margarine out of the fridge.

"I am not acting like your mom when you were in high school," I crossed my arms. "I am just wanting to know who this mystery person is that you're dating. Although it seems to me like you and Calum have been spending a lot of time together."

"I'm not gay!" Luke yelled, which made me laugh while I began scooping our soup into a couple bowls.

"It's okay, you can come out whenever you're ready," I pat his shoulder, still laughing while he huffed in annoyance and put the toast on a couple of plates and began to butter them.

"So what about you and Ashton?" Luke asked.

"What about us?" I asked back, taking my plate and bowl to the table, pouring myself a glass of milk to drink with it.

"Have you guys done the unspeakable yet?" Luke looked at me with a cheeky smirk on his face, wiggling his eyebrows as he sat at the table with his food as well.

"Luke, we haven't done anything," I rolled my eyes.

"He hasn't even kissed you yet? Come on, even I nailed that one on the first date." He rolled his eyes.

"No he hasn't kissed me yet and that's okay," I said. "He can take his time."

"You guys aren't going to go on 'first dates' forever you know," Luke said. "I mean, sooner or later he's going to kiss you, and then you guys are gonna have sex, and then you're gonna try anal, and then--"

"Oh my god, Luke that is so disgusting!" I yelled. "No one should ever try anal! That is not okay!"

"They say a girl's butthole is tighter than her vagina," Luke winked.

"You're sick," I said back, making him laugh while I took a sip of my soup, refusing to continue the conversation any longer.

"You know, I would personally never try anal because you poop out of it," Luke said. "I mean, I don't want that all over me. It would be too much work to clean up."

"Can we stop talking about this please? I'm trying to eat." I turned back to him with a look of disgust, which only made him laugh even harder.

"Okay, I'm done," he continued eating his own soup, letting the conversation turn back into something slightly less graphic.

Before long I was in my pajamas getting tucked into bed, still shaking my head at how weird Luke could be.

For some reason, I felt as though I had a long week ahead of me.


	13. Chapter 13

"Maybe I'm too busy being yours to fall for somebody new, now I've thought it through. Crawling back to you."

What the hell?

I sat up in my bed, looking at the time. 5:30 in the morning?

I wrapped a blanket around myself and walked into the living room to find Luke was dancing with his stuffed penguin and singing rather off key to Arctic Monkeys.

"Luke, what the hell are you doing? It's 5:30 in the morning!" I turned the stereo down and he frowned.

"I don't know, I couldn't sleep so I came out here to find my voice." He shrugged, laying on the couch with his penguin.

"What the hell?" I said again. "Are you high?"

"No." He rubbed his eyes. "I don't know, I couldn't sleep. Did you spike my soup last night with something weird? I feel funny."

"Well thanks for waking me up an hour earlier than I usually get up," I rolled my eyes. "And no I didn't spike your soup with something. Maybe thinking about anal so much last night made you feel weird."

"Possibly," he said. "Anyways, I think I should head back to bed or I'll be way tired after work today."

"Oh YOU should go back to bed?" I scoffed. "I'm gonna go take a shower now that you've gotten me up already. If I go back to bed then it'll be too hard to get back out of bed."

"Sorry," he giggled, wrapping a blanket around himself and rolling over on the couch.

I took a quick shower, drying my hair and doing my makeup before deciding to curl my hair and make myself breakfast since I had so much extra time to get ready.

I fried myself some eggs and made toast, enjoying them somewhat slowly while I scrolled through the news on my phone, uninterested in all the negativity going on in the world.

Before long I was out the door and at work, saying hello to Michael before heading into my office to get started.

The day went by slowly, and by the time it was 4:30 I was relieved I could go home. I changed before walking to Starbucks and spotting Ashton, who I smiled at when I saw.

"Hello Taylor Parks," Ashton smiled back at me, helping me take my jacket off. "How was your day?"

"Slow," I shrugged. "I need to get myself some tea."

"I'll go up with you, I was feeling like getting some tea myself." Ashton took my arm and walked with me to the counter.

"Taylor, nice to see you and Ashton are getting along today," Luke smiled at me.

"Well I always try to get along with her," Ashton said. "We'd both like some tea please."

"What kind?" Luke asked Ashton.

"What kind do you want?" Ashton asked me.

"Oh I already know what she wants," Luke said.

"Well I'll just have the same thing as her thing, whatever it is," Ashton smiled at me.

"It's good," I assured him, and Luke put the order in.

I reached into my purse for some money, but Ashton beat me to it.

"Stop paying for me!" I crossed my arms and Ashton laughed, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. His familiar scent brought me a sense of peace.

Luke handed us our drinks, and Ashton walked us back to our spots with his hand on my back, and I heard Luke whistle at us behind me. I made a mental note to kill him for that later.

"So Luke and his friend wanted to invite us to go out with them Friday night to have a couple drinks," I said. "Are you interested?"

"Yes, definitely," he said. "What time is it exactly?"

"I'm not sure, I can text you when I find out." I replied, taking a sip of my tea. The warmth relaxed me instantly.

"Okay, that sounds perfect." Ashton leaned back against the couch after picking up a magazine from the table. God he looked good in that navy blue sweater.

"I always love to look at all the weird recipes that are in these old women magazines," he said, flipping one open to a recipe to make snowmen cupcakes.

"They are not 'old women' magazines," I said. "I read them sometimes, you know. They have pretty good recipes."

"Oh my, do I have a crush on an old woman?" Ashton teased. "You know, my mom always told me I had a thing for older women. I loved Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Aniston."

"I am not an old woman," I laughed. "I am only 23."

"That's good," he said. "I would have been concerned if I were dating an 18 year old."

"Oh god no," I shook my head. "My life was horrible when I was 18 anyways. I never want to go back."

"How was it horrible when you were 18?" he asked.

"Oh nothing," I said. "My mom was just in jail a lot and ended up coming home drunk like all the time. I didn't really have anyone but my brother at that point in time. But my life is better now. I'm happy."

"Your mom came home drunk all the time?" he asked. "Was she an alcoholic?"

I nodded. "But I don't wanna talk about it anymore. It's depressing and I would rather focus on the future. Like the fact that we're going to have fun Friday night with Luke and his friend."

Ashton frowned, but quickly recovered. "I haven't been out in a while. This ought to be fun."

"Oh it will be," I laughed. "You've seen how Luke gets when he's drunk. He's so funny."

"What about me?" Luke appeared next to us, suddenly, seeming suspicious of our conversation.

"Ashton said he would come with us on Friday," I smiled up at Luke. "And we were just remembering how funny you were when you got piss drunk at Michael's party."

"Let's not speak of that," he cringed, which made both Ashton and I laugh.

"Well I think I better head home soon and make myself dinner, and it looks as though Luke is done working too," Ashton said, standing up and pulling his jacket on.

"Yes," Luke nodded. "And it's Taylor's night to make dinner."

I groaned. "I don't even know what to make."

"You always have some sort of plan," Luke smiled as Ashton helped me pull my jacket back on and I pulled my purse over my shoulder.

"I'll see you on Thursday," I said to Ashton, who smiled and pulled me in for a quick hug.

"I'll see you on Thursday, Taylor Parks," Ashton winked at me before Luke and I walked outside.

As I got into bed that night, my mind flooded with memories of my mom and how concerned Ashton seemed when I mentioned her. I didn't want him knowing about her. It was embarrassing what she put my brother and I through growing up and I didn't want Ashton or even Luke knowing about it.

I just wanted the past behind me. That's what I moved to Seattle for in the first place.

I turned my lamp off and tucked myself into bed, falling asleep almost instantly.


	14. Chapter 14

"Good morning Taylor!" Michael smiled at me as I walked into work Friday morning with my coffee in my hand.

"Good morning Michael!" I smiled back just as enthusiastically. "I'm so glad it's Friday."

"Me too," he picked up a donut from the table and grabbed a cup for coffee. "I have a special date planned for Julie tonight, she's going to love it."

"I'm so happy to hear that you guys are doing so great," I said, taking a donut for myself just because it was Friday and I felt like treating myself. "I'll see you around."

"Have a great Friday!" he waved as I walked down the hall to my office.

The day flew by, and before I knew it I was walking home with Luke after Starbucks and getting ready to meet up with Ashton and Calum.

Luke told me that they'd made plans to meet up for dinner before heading to a club downtown so I'd informed Ashton of the news as soon as I could. He was getting a bit more friendly on Thursday at Starbucks, but I was getting more comfortable around him the more time we spent together.

Ashton was sweet, but he was just so hard to read. I couldn't place exactly how I felt about him yet, although I knew my feelings weren't negative. There was really nothing negative about him, he was just a little pushy sometimes was all. And even then, he just wanted to get to know me better. I'm just not the best at opening up, and I certainly didn't want to.

I searched my closet for something to wear, and I decided on a short black fitted dress that had a sheer ring around the waist. I had bought this dress a few weeks before knowing that I'd eventually have an occasion to wear it.

Deciding that wearing tights would take away from the look of the dress, I ran a little water in the bath to quickly shave my legs before getting out. I put lotion on my legs before touching up my curls from the day and adding a little more makeup.

I walked out to see Luke sitting on the couch in the living room tying his shoes. He glanced up at me and then stop tying his shoes to look at me again, this time looking at me up and down.

"Don't be so obvious, Luke," I rolled my eyes.

"Well Ashton is surely going to enjoy the sight," he smirked at me before tying his shoes again.

"Is it too much? Should I go change? I don't wanna give the wrong idea--"

"You look great Taylor," Luke interrupted me. "You're not gonna give anyone the wrong idea, and if anyone tries anything on you I'll make sure they know they're not allowed to do that."

"Okay," I took a deep breath, grabbing my jacket and pulling it on.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked, and I nodded.

"Let's go have some fun," he smiled, opening the door and walking with me into the hallway.

-

"Damn Taylor, you look stunning," Calum complimented me as we walked into Applebee's and met him in the waiting area.

"Thank you," I felt my cheeks heat as I sat down and Luke smiled a hello to Calum as well.

"Is Ashton not here yet?" Calum asked.

"I guess not, he didn't come with us," I said.

Just as I said it, my phone made a ding noise and I checked it to see a text. *Be there soon, traffic is slow.*

"He's on his way, he's stuck in traffic," I explained, locking my phone and slipping it back into my purse.

"Table for 4 please," Luke said to the hostess. "One more is on his way."

"Right this way," she smiled, grabbing 4 menus and walking us to a booth nearby.

"Can I get drinks started for you?" she pulled out a notepad as we got settled, Luke and Calum sitting together across from me.

"I'll have an iced tea, and my friend will be here soon, he usually has the same," I said, remembering that Ashton said he usually orders iced tea at restaurants.

After receiving the orders from Luke and Calum, she hurried off to another booth and I took my jacket off, getting more comfortable in my seat.

"Sorry I'm late," Ashton slid into the seat next to me just then, pulling his own jacket off. I feel the coolness from being outside fan towards me, making me shiver slightly.

"You're all good," Calum said, glancing up from his menu to give a friendly hello to Ashton. "I'm Calum, Luke's friend."

"I'm Ashton, Taylor's date," he smiled, reaching across the table to shake his hand. My cheeks flushed when he said "date."

"I ordered some iced tea for you," I said as I opened my menu, looking over at Ashton as he leaned in a little to wrap his arm around me in a friendly side hug.

"You remembered," he smiled.

"Yes I did," I smiled back.

"What do you guys usually get here?" Luke asked, interrupting our short lived moment. "Taylor and I never come to Applebee's."

"Well the ribs aren't bad," Calum said, leaning over to Luke and pointing on his menu.

"$21?! Yikes," Luke cringed. "I'm a college student, I'd prefer something a little less pricey."

"Well the burgers are certainly pretty good," Calum laughed, leaning over a little more into Luke and pointing out a couple more things on the menu.

Before long we'd eaten and were walking out to Ashton's truck to head to the club. In the parking lot, Calum and Luke walked ahead of Ashton and I, laughing about something stupid that I'd never understand.

"You look amazing as always Taylor Parks," Ashton said to me as we walked to his truck.

"Thank you," I smiled up at him, shivering a little from the cold. He looked so good in that black leather jacket, shit.

"Shotgun!" Luke yelled as he ran to the passenger side door of Ashton's truck.

Ashton chuckled. "Not happening. That seat is already reserved for a beautiful lady."

"Which is me, of course," Luke said. He was already silly and he hadn't even had any alcohol yet. Oh boy.

"I'll fight you for that seat," I said, approaching him and he playfully moved his fist towards my arm in a light shove.

"Really though, I'd much rather sit with Calum anyways," Luke rolled his eyes, moving to the backseat.

"I know," I winked, smirking at him as his cheeks turned pink and I stepped into the front seat.

"Don't even start," he groaned, climbing into the back where Calum was getting in on the other side.

The drive to the club was short, and Ashton led the way inside. I sat at a table right away, Ashton scooting in next to me and ordering a couple drinks for the four of us.

The music was pounding around us and I could see girls wearing minimal clothing moving with other people around in the dim lights. Black lights made the white laces on Ashton's converse glow despite the thin layer of dirt settled on them from frequent wear.

"What did you order?" I asked, leaning in closer to Ashton so he could hear me.

"Sex on the Beach," he replied. "Luke told me those are your favorite."

"Doing our research are we?" I smirked, though I was appreciative that he didn't order something disgusting like whiskey.

"Maybe," he smirked back, just as our drinks arrived in front of us. I gratefully reached for a drink and took a sip.

Before long, my drink was gone and I was already feeling the alcohol starting to take its effect. I started getting silly, making comments to Ashton about the girls who seemed to be drooling over him nearby and giggling when he replied telling me "he didn't notice because he was too busy admiring me."

"I want to dance," I said, standing and grabbing Ashton's hand. "I feel like getting my wiggle on."

"Getting your wiggle on?" Ashton laughed, standing to his feet with me and following me drag him into the group of people.

The music was nothing I normally listened to, but was danceable. I was never one for dancing, so I instead entertained Ashton by pulling out my signature moves, like the sprinkler and trying to whip, which was hard in heels.

Ashton threw his head back laughing at me, and even joined in on my goofy shenanigans. Before long we were both laughing hysterically.

"I am exhausted," I announced, walking back to join Luke and Calum at our table, who were taking selfies and making goofy faces. It didn't take me long to realize they were on Snapchat using the update to put new filters over their faces and laughing hysterically about what it did to their faces.

"I haven't had this much fun in a while," Ashton said after ordering us some more drinks.

"Me neither," I giggled. Why did I keep giggling? I must have been more drunk than I thought. I am pretty lightweight, it wouldn't take much to get hammered.

"I remember one time in college, I snuck into a club with one of my girlfriends and got so drunk I peed myself laughing," I giggled while telling Ashton the story, and he laughed at me too.

"In college? You must have had a pretty wild college life," he said, not seeming to be drunk at all.

"Yes I did," I said, taking a sip of the drink that had been just placed in front of me. "But I got my shit together when I got an internship at a publishing agency."

"A publishing agency? Is that where you work now?" he asked.

I nodded. "I read through and edit stories sent in. I revise conventional errors and stuff. Switch around the sentences."

"I've always hated English," he laughed. "I never wanted to do anything that had to do with English."

"What do you do now?" I asked.

"I've always loved animals growing up," he said. "I spent all my time volunteering at animal shelters and I was always going out rescuing injured animals and bringing them to wildlife rescue, so in college I decided to become a vet."

"Really?" I asked. "That's so awesome! I love animals!"

"You'll have to come visit me at work sometime," he said.

"I want a cat," I said. "I love cats so much. Orange tabbies are so adorable. I want to have like 20 cuddle me at night."

Ashton laughed, probably at my drunken state and I laughed along with him, finishing off the last of my drink.

Ashton ordered me another drink and I told myself that this was my last one; if I had anymore I would be unable to see straight.

"Hey, do you know where Luke and Calum went?" Ashton asked me.

"Probably to make out in the bathroom," I giggled.

Ashton looked at me for a moment before bursting out into laughter.

"Well I'm going to go check in the bathroom to find out where they went. Are you going to be okay here on your own for a couple minutes?" he looked at me amused.

"Yeah I'll be fine," I smiled reassuringly, leaning into the table and he got up and went to the bathroom quickly.

I checked my phone to make sure I didn't have any missed calls or messages, and of course I didn't. No one talks to me because I have no friends. The thought made me laugh out loud.

My drink was placed in front of me and Ashton came back to sit next to me within a couple minutes.

"This is going to be my last drink," I informed him. "I cannot have anymore or I will be stumbling and puking everywhere."

"Yes, I agree that you shouldn't have any more," he laughed, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "In fact, Luke said he wants to leave so we're going to head out once you finish that."

"Well it'll be gone in a couple minutes with no problem," I took another sip of my drink, which was almost gone anyways.

"Is everything okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah, he's just in the bathroom, some girl puked on him and he's in a bit of a sour mood. Calum is trying to help clean up," he said.

"Aw, that's cute. They should get married," I said. I really have no filter when I'm drunk, wow.

"I think it's time to get you home," Ashton hadn't stopped laughing at me since I had my first drink.

"I agree. I am so drunk," I laughed, setting my cup down and not bothering to finish the last couple sips. I'd had enough for one night.

"I'll text Luke and Calum to let them know we're leaving," I said, pulling out my phone and sending a text message to Luke with a couple typos that I was too drunk to fix.

I stood from the table, and I pulled out some money to pay for our drinks. For once Ashton didn't argue and we paid for the drinks together before I pulled my coat on and stumbled a little before managing to walk out to the parking lot.

"Are you sure you can drive?" I asked Ashton as he pulled out his keys. I saw Luke and Calum walking out from the corner of my eye.

"Yes, I'm fine," he said, walking me to the passenger side door. "I only had a couple drinks, I am way below the legal limit."

"Okay," I said as he helped me into my seat. I'm going to crash so hard when I get home, I thought.

"Stupid girls these days," Luke muttered as he climbed into the backseat. "She looked like she couldn't be any older than 18, that is so ridiculous."

Me in college, I thought to myself. I laughed out loud at the thought of an 18 year old me puking on random people in clubs.

"Why are you laughing?" Luke grumbled as I pulled my seatbelt on, missing the buckle a few times before Ashton reached over to help me.

"No reason," I giggled. God I am so drunk.

"Let's just get everyone home," Ashton said, pulling out of the parking lot. He dropped off Calum first, who wasn't really that drunk, and then drove to my shared apartment with Luke.

"I'm gonna walk you guys up," Ashton said as he turned off the engine and pulled his eyes out of the ignition.

It didn't take much to get us up, Luke had sobered up a little and I could still mostly walk. Ashton was hardly even buzzed, and I had to hold onto his arm for support as we went up the elevator. I was giggling the entire time.

When we got to our apartment, Luke stalked off into his room to change into different clothes and I sat on the couch. Ashton went into the kitchen and I called for him to come back.

"I was just getting you water," he said in a hushed tone when he entered the living room again, sitting next to me on the couch and handing me the glass.

"Oh, thank you," I said, taking the water and sipping at it. I was going to be so hungover in the morning.

"I should get going soon," Ashton said, pulling out his phone and checking the time. It was only 11:30.

"No, stay," I put my hand on his arm and pulled him closer to me on the couch. "I want to talk to you for a while."

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked me gently, scooting a little closer to me and I laid my head on his forearm.

"Um... I want to know what you did when you were a kid," I said, playing with his fingers resting on his thigh.

"What I did when I was a kid?" he chuckled at me, letting me play with his hands. His fingers were so long, jeez.

"Yeah, like what are your favorite childhood memories?" I asked, turning to look at him.

"Well, I used to climb trees a lot when I was little. And my dad built me this treehouse and I would go up and read books all the time. I was such a nerd," he laughed.

His laughter was contagious. "Was he nice?"

"My dad?" he asked. I nodded. "Yeah, he was nice. I still talk to him occasionally, although I'm a lot closer with my mom. They got divorced when I was 8."

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said. "My dad was an asshole."

"How so?" he asked.

"Well I mean, I don't even remember him hardly. He left me and my family when I was 6," I said, shrugging.

"Well he certainly seems like an asshole," he said.

"I have this one memory of him in my kitchen cooking and singing and he would pick me up and dance with me when we were making breakfast," I said. "And my brother would come in and join us and play air guitar and my mom would come in and laugh at us. We used to be a happy family." I stopped and stared at the coffee table in front of me, the few memories I had of my father flooding my mind.

Before I knew it, I was laying on the opposite side of the couch and warm tears were pouring out of my eyes and down my cheeks that were still cold from being outside.

"Taylor?" Ashton saying just my first name sounded so odd as he leaned over and looked at me laying on the couch.

"Are you crying?" he asked quietly.

"No, I just have a little alcohol in my eyes," I lied. I am a terrible liar when I'm drunk.

Ashton's arms lifted me from laying on the couch and pulled me against him, letting me sob quietly against his chest.

"I don't know why I'm crying, I never cry over my childhood, this is so stupid," I said, shaking while he held me.

"Don't worry about it, it's okay," he said in my ear and held me tight.


	15. Chapter 15

I woke to a gentle, slow rise and fall movement and it took me a moment to realize where I was.

I sat up from laying against Ashton's chest, immediately regretting that decision. My heart started pounding and I started to remember everything that had happened the night before.

I was still in my dress and even my heels, and Ashton was snoring quietly on the couch, also still in his clothes from the night before.

I literally rolled my eyes remembering how I acted. I was so drunk, god that's embarrassing.

I quietly got up off the couch and draped a blanket over Ashton to let him sleep a bit longer. I took off my heels and first made a stop in the kitchen to get a glass of water, then to my bedroom to get sweats.

On my way to the bathroom, Luke came out wearing his pajama pants and looked at me confused. "Why are you still in your dress?"

"It's a long story," I rolled my eyes. "I'll tell you later. I'm going to take a shower, can you make sure Ashton stays? I want to make him breakfast because I feel bad about him having to take care of me last night."

"Go ahead and take a shower, I'll make breakfast," Luke said. "You look like hell."

"I feel like it." I closed the door and looked in the mirror and flinched at my reflection. I had makeup smeared everywhere and my hair looked like a nest. No thank you.

I spent about 5 minutes untangling my hair in the shower, practically ripping it out in clumps once I had conditioned it. I got out and didn't bother to dry my hair or do anything with my appearance before coming out to the living room again and smelled bacon.

Ashton stirred a little on the couch and looked confused at where he was. I'm assuming he remembered what happened the night before because then he frowned and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"Morning," I said quietly, sitting by him on the couch. "Luke is making breakfast."

"That's okay, I can just eat when I get home--"

"No really, I insist that you stay for breakfast," I said, cutting him off. "Luke makes really good breakfasts anyways, you'll enjoy it."

"Okay." He smiled at me, and reached down to untie his shoes, which were also still on from the night before.

"That was quite a night last night," he laughed, running his hands through his messy hair.

"Yeah it was," I agreed, almost laughing as well.

"Hey lovebirds, breakfast is ready!" Luke called from the kitchen and I was grateful for this; I was getting uncomfortable sitting there with Ashton after the way I'd behaved the night before.

I ate my breakfast quietly and Ashton and Luke talked about various guy subjects that I didn't understand. I was too caught up in my own thinking to pay attention anyways.

"Well I have some work I need to do at home," Ashton said as I took his plate to put in the sink. "I have yard work and a leaky faucet to take care of."

"No problem," Luke said as he began unloading the dishwasher.

"Thank you for breakfast, Taylor was right about you making it really good," Ashton said, smiling at me after thanking Luke.

"I'll see you around," he said, giving me a quick hug before heading out the door.

I watched Luke unload the dishwasher in silence for a couple minutes, not sure what to say.

"So are you going to explain what happened last night with Ashton?" he asked, glancing at me as I walked to the sink to rinse the few dishes and load them into the now empty dishwasher.

"Yeah," I said. "I don't know, I was really drunk last night, and when we got here Ashton got me a glass of water and I asked him to stay and sit and talk to me so he did. Then I somehow ended up asking him about his childhood, which led to me mentioning my asshole father and then I cried. I don't know why I cried. I never cry over like anything, especially not something so stupid."

"So you and Ashton just crashed on the couch?" he asked.

I nodded. "I didn't mean for him to stay all night, I guess I passed out on him and he passed out too."

"I gotta say, I never would have expected something like this from you," Luke laughed, shaking his head.

"Well I'm pretty sure your night was ruined anyways," I said.

"Yeah," he rolled his eyes. "Don't remind me. I just came home and changed and went to bed. I was so done with everything."

"Well I can't say I wouldn't be frustrated if some girl puked on me," I laughed, making him cringe.

"It was so gross," he looked at me with disgust. "It smelled so bad too, it literally made me gag. I'm pretty sure my nostrils are still burning from the stench of stomach and bad alcohol."

"Ew!" I laughed, wrinkling my nose at his description.

"Exactly! I'm going to go take a shower and do laundry because I'm pretty sure I can still smell it on myself," he said, walking out of the kitchen as I finished wiping off the counters.

I spent the afternoon dusting and straightening up our apartment. I cleaned the bathroom once Luke was out of the shower and vacuumed the floor in the living room, which had dirt on it from Ashton and I not taking off our shoes when we got inside.

I was laying in my bed reading a book when my phone was ringing on the table next to my bed. It was Ashton.

"Hey," I said into the speaker, placing a bookmark on my page and sitting up.

"Hey, I usually don't call the day after we go out but it's been bugging me all afternoon," he said.

"What has?" I questioned.

"I just wanted to apologize to you because I shouldn't have stayed last night," he said. "It was so disrespectful of me, I should have just gotten you to your bed and left and--"

"No Ashton, I'm sorry," I said. "The way I acted last night was so embarrassing and I'm so sorry that you had to practically babysit me all night."

"I didn't mind, but I guess we both have things to not let happen again next time," he laughed.

"Yeah I guess so," I managed to laugh a little too, relieved that he didn't find me as too much of a burden as I was scared he might.

"I just didn't want you to think that I was trying to take advantage of you last night," Ashton said. "I just--"

"It's okay, really," I cut him off again. "Don't be sorry."

"Okay," he said. "Maybe we could get together and do something together this week. Something that doesn't involve alcohol."

"That's a good idea," I said. "I'll check my work schedule for the week and let you know when I find out."

"Okay, that sounds good," he said. "I'll see you Tuesday Taylor Parks."

"Bye Ashton." I hung up and set my phone back on the table and went back into my book, somehow a bit more relaxed than I was before.


	16. Chapter 16

"Are you serious?" I sighed as I wrote the times in my planner for the week.

"Yes, I'm sorry Ms. Parks but there's a lot of things going on with the company right now," Mr. Styles' deep voice said in the receiver of my phone and I tried not to get irritated. I knew he just wanted what was best for his company; he didn't really have much control over all the meetings that needed to take place over the course of a week.

"It's okay, I understand," I said, setting my pen down and closing my planner.

"Hey, just between us, there's another publishing agency that makes loads of money that wants to merge with us," he told me, sounding excited. "It looks as though some people might be getting a raise with all the extra money we'll be making."

"Really? That's fantastic!" I said, pushing aside my ill feelings towards all the meetings I'd have to attend in the next week.

"Yes, but you have to keep this just between us," my boss said. "I'm not absolutely sure that it will work out, it's just a high possibility."

"Okay, no problem. My lips are sealed Mr. Styles," I said.

"Good." I could see his bright smile even though he was in his own office right now and I was in mine. "Have a wonderful day Ms. Parks."

"You too." I hung up and flipped open to the revisions I was making in a new story I'd just gotten today.

It was weird having such seemingly casual conversation with my boss--especially considering he had just told me something he probably wasn't allowed to tell any employees in the editing branch--but he was really close with the boss I'd had at my internship, who I'd been on a first name basis with. His wife was also one of my best friends, which only added to the closeness of our work family. I miss them, I thought. I should probably give them a call and see how they're doing sometime soon. Maybe make a trip to Albany to visit them again.

No, absolutely not. I had too many problems back in Albany I couldn't go back to, even if I thought I could handle it. It wasn't safe for me to go back, and Sophia would kill me if she found out I'd been even considering coming back just for a visit.

I pushed my thoughts aside and focused on my revisions. There weren't many conventional errors in this one. It was mostly a lot of run on sentences.

I joined Michael and Niall again for lunch. Niall was telling Michael about how the story he was editing was so sexual it was probably worse than 50 Shades of Grey, although I imagined he enjoyed reading all of it. Michael was telling us about how he and Julie went whale watching over the weekend and she freaked out over how cute the orcas were. I watched Michael's eyes light up as he talked about his girlfriend and it made me smile.

"How was your weekend, Taylor?" Michael asked me.

"Oh it was fine," I shrugged. "I went out with a few friends Friday night."

"You have friends?" Niall teased, laughing when I rolled my eyes at him.

"Yes and it was quite a night," I said. "Luke got puked on by some girl at the club who 'couldn't be any older than 18.'"

"Are you sure it wasn't Luke puking on himself?" Michael laughed. He was definitely never going to live that house party down.

"You know, it might have been," I said, all of us sharing a laugh.

"Well I should be getting back to my office," Niall said. "I have a lot of things to take care of today."

"Me too," I said, standing from the table and packing up the items from my lunch. "I'll see you guys around."

The day passed by how it normally does, and I decided to make a stop by Starbucks since I wouldn't be getting a chance to for the rest of the week.

"Tea," I said to Luke as I got to the counter and he looked at me questioningly.

"Why the short answers?" he asked.

"Because i have a long week ahead of me and I just want some tea," I said.

"Alright," he shrugged.

I sat down with my drink and decided I should call Ashton and tell him right away so he wouldn't be confused showing up to Starbucks on Tuesday and Thursday to not find me.

"Hey Taylor Parks," Ashton said enthusiastically on the second ring. I heard some sizzling noise in the background and I assumed he was cooking.

"Hey Ashton," I said. "I have some bad news."

"Oh, is everything okay?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"Yeah everything's fine, don't worry," I reassured him. "I was just going to let you know that I'm busy all week. Today was the only day I didn't have anything going on because I have meetings that are almost guaranteed to run late tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday and then I have to work late on Friday because I have to take Luke to a doctor's appointment in the morning. I'm really sorry Ashton."

"Oh that's okay," he said. "Maybe this weekend then?"

"Yeah, definitely," I said. "Do you have anything in mind?"

"Actually, yes," he said. "How would you feel about me taking you on a date to go ice skating?"

"I love ice skating!" I replied. "Yes!"

"Okay, cool," he said. "I'll pick you up at 6."

"Okay, I'll be ready," I couldn't help the goofy smile on my face. Ice skating was one of my dream dates and I hadn't been ice skating in almost a year.

"Perfect. I'll talk to you later," he said.

"Bye Ashton." Suddenly I wasn't so disappointed in my long lineup of meetings and work shit all week.

-

"So how busy are you exactly all week?" Luke asked, flipping through the channels while we ate our rice.

"I have meetings all week," I said. "I won't be able to come to Starbucks after work at all for the rest of the week."

"Bummer," he said, still flipping through the channels. "There's nothing good on tv."

"Maybe because you haven't decided on one channel," I said.

"'Maybe because you haven't decided on one channel'," Luke mocked me, rolling his eyes.

"You're annoying." I took a bite of my rice, ignoring his juvenile reaction.

"Excuse me?" he set the remote down. "I'm pretty sure you're the annoying one."

"Really? I guess I can just forget about taking you to your doctors appointment Friday and you can just die," I shot back.

"That's rude!" he huffed. "The cops would catch you though and you'd be arrested for manslaughter!"

"Not if I feed your body to pigs and burn their shit," I said.

"You really need to stop watching those crime shows," he said, rolling his eyes.

"And you really need to stop being annoying."

"Are we going in circles now? Because you're more annoying than I am."

I started laughing, and Luke joined in and finally decided on a channel to watch.

"I don't know how I put up with your annoying ass," Luke said to me.

"Love you too honey," I said while he set the remote down again, turning the volume up.

"KISS MY SALTY ASSHOLE!" he yelled, making me laugh and shush him before we got someone pounding on our door complaining about the noise.

"No thanks, that's Calum's job," I said, knowing this would set him off.

"You know what? You can make yourself dinner from now on! I'm moving out!" he got up from the couch, making me burst into a fit of laughter while he stalked into the kitchen and placed his empty plate in the sink.

"Where are you gonna go? To move in with Calum?" I was on a roll.

"BYE!" Luke slammed the bathroom door shut and I laughed even harder at him, taking my own plate into the kitchen.

10 minutes later I brought a cup of pudding in to Luke in his room, who was sitting on his phone probably pouting.

"I made you pudding as a truce," I said, handing him the cup.

"Only because I can never turn down anything chocolate," he took the cup from me and pulled me to sit with him on his bed, wrapping an arm around me while he ate.

"You love me," I said, smiling as he practically inhaled the pudding. If you bring chocolate to Luke he can never stay mad at you.

"Except for the annoying side of you," he said.

"No, you love my annoying comments because I put up with you too," I said.

"We put up with each other."

"You're a pain in the ass," I watched him take the last bite of pudding.

"So are you," he got up and went to throw away the pudding cup and I jumped on his back, clinging to him while he walked.

"Love me."

Luke finally bursted out laughing. I knew he couldn't stay mad at me.

"God you're weird," he said when I jumped off of his back.

"You're glad I am. Your life would be boring with a normal roommate," I said.

"Okay that's true," he said. "But you're still annoying sometimes."

"Yeah I know," I flipped my hair off my shoulder and walked out of the room and into my bedroom dramatically.

I went to bed early knowing I'd be needing all the sleep I could get for this next week.


	17. Chapter 17

I opened my eyes Saturday morning to realize I'd slept in pretty late. The sun was already beating down on my skin through the blinds of my room and I blinked the brightness away before I climbed out of bed, feeling like a lazy ass for sleeping so long.

Luke must have still been in bed because he wasn't in the bathroom, living room or kitchen. I decided he had put up with enough of my complaining about work all week so I started making breakfast.

The meetings in the past week had been long, boring and mostly talking about finance in the company. Throughout most of them, Niall sat next to me and leaned over to make comments about the guy from the other company, who had an obvious bald spot or how his shirt came untucked in the back and he bent over to pick something up and revealed his hairy back. This of course always resulted in me covering my mouth to keep from laughing when he turned back around.

Luke came slogging into the kitchen while I was finishing up breakfast. I swear he has a food radar that alerts him whenever food is ready.

"I made breakfast to make up for my complaining all week," I explained as he sat down and I placed his plate in front of him.

"I hate doctor appointments," he said, shoveling food into his mouth. "I got poked and prodded and needles stuck in me yesterday and now I'm sore and I feel like shit."

Luke had to get immunizations and now I was going to be the one hearing complaints for a while.

"Well hey, there's bacon," I tried to lighten the mood by throwing another piece on his plate.

"How are things with you and Ashton?" Luke asked, changing the subject.

"They're good," I said. "We're going ice skating tonight."

"Nice," he said. "Has he taken you home yet?"

"Don't be gross Luke," I rolled my eyes.

"Not like that," he said. "I mean have you gone to his house yet? But I mean if you wanna take it that way..."

"No I have not been to his house yet," I said, ignoring his second comment.

"You didn't deny anything about doing the do yet," Luke smirked at me. "Does that mean you have?"

"No we have not," I crossed my arms. "And even if we had, I wouldn't come and tell you about it."

"I'm pretty sure you would come."

"LUKE!" I swatted his arm and he started laughing hysterically.

"But you know, that all depends on how good he is in bed," Luke continued.

"Don't be gross!" I covered my face, knowing it was as red as my shirt.

"You're so easy to make fun of," Luke couldn't stop laughing at me.

"I am done with this conversation," I said, getting up from the table and starting to wash the dishes from breakfast.

"Hey, no, we were just getting started!" Luke protested. "You haven't told me what his kinks are! Does he like spanking?"

I ignored him and shook my head, loading the dishwasher while he sat laughing to himself while he finished his breakfast.

I watched a movie with Luke after breakfast and spent the majority of the morning and early afternoon cleaning and then playing a board game with Luke. I took a shower before I came out into the living room to find Luke had ordered Chinese takeout.

"I didn't feel like cooking," he shrugged. "I got sesame chicken, your favorite."

"I forgive you only because I love Chinese food so much and I've been craving it all week," I said, sitting down and digging in.

"Cravings?" he asked. "Taylor, did Ashton get you pregnant? You should know how important it is to use condoms--"

"Do you ever stop making comments like that?" I scoffed. "You're so gross."

"Well I mean, women crave things when they're pregnant."

"The only baby in me is going to be the food baby I'm going to get after I eat all these noodles," I said, reaching for the container of chow mien.

"Me too!" Luke reached for the container of rice and we binged together until I realized it was 5:30 and Ashton was going to show up soon.

"I have to go get ready," I said, leaving Luke to the rest of the food and I left to get ready.

After brushing my teeth and my hair, I went into my bedroom to look for something to wear. I knew I needed to bundle since it was going to be so cold, but what was I going to wear? Normally I would just throw something on and not care but did I really want to give Ashton that impression?

I let out a loud groan after searching my entire closet 3 times, and Luke poked his head in a moment later, looking concerned.

"What's your malfunction?" he asked.

"I have no idea what to wear!" I said, flipping through my closer again. "Ashton is going to be here in 20 minutes and I'm in sweats!"

"Hey, chill out," he stepped in my room. "Since when have you ever worried about what to wear when you're going out?"

"I don't know!" I threw my hands up. "I don't know why it matters so much to me now!"

"Well here," Luke reached in my closet and pulled out a sweater, the exact same sweater I'd worn the day I met Ashton. "This will keep you warm and Ashton will definitely like it."

I took the sweater from him. "I give up." I reached into my drawer and pulled out a random pair of jeans.

"Hey, there you go," he said. "Now get dressed so you're ready to go when he gets here."

I put on thick wool socks and my leg warmers to make sure I stayed warm, and then went to the living room to pull on my jacket and boots.

Right at 6, Ashton knocked on the door and I jumped up from the couch. Luke looked at me suspiciously.

"I'm just--"

"Eager, I know," he smirked and I felt my cheeks heat. I turned around and walked towards the door.

"Have fun! Don't get herpes!" Luke called when I stepped out into the hallway to see Ashton smiling at me. I rolled my eyes at Luke's comment.

"You look wonderful, Taylor Parks," he smiled and took my hand as we walked down the hallway.

-

"I haven't been ice skating in almost a year," I informed Ashton as I laced my skates, pulling them an extra few times to get them tight enough. "So I'll probably fall on my ass a lot."

"I'll catch you," he said, sitting across from me and lacing his own skates.

"How romantic," I smiled at him and he looked at me and smiled as well, obviously proud of his corny idea.

"It's been a while, but I think I might remember how to spin once we get out on the ice," I said as I stood and waited for him to finish tying his laces.

"Well I'd like to see you at least try," he said, standing with me. "And if you fall I'll help you up but I'll laugh at you first."

"Thanks."

As soon as I got out on the ice, it felt foreign to me but within a couple minutes I was skating just fine. In fact, I was going faster than Ashton was, and he just laughed at me while I skated in circles around him.

"Let's see that spin," he challenged me, and I slowed down and moved a few feet away from him. 

"Oh boy," I attempted to start it but immediately lost my balance and almost slipped and fell.

"I can't do this," I laughed. "I'm not a professional ice skater and I never will be."

"That's okay," he laughed along with me. "I don't want you to fall and get hurt anyways."

It was a good 20 minutes or so before I decided I needed a break and we left the rink to sit and take a couple minutes to breathe.

"I learned how to ice skate when I was really young," Ashton said. "My mom always took us ice skating every year after thanksgiving and before Christmas."

"Really? I learned to ice skate when I was in 6th grade," I said. "I don't go very often but I do enjoy myself every time."

"So I hope that means you're enjoying yourself this time," he leaned back and put his arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him a little more.

"I certainly am," I smiled, taking in his scent.

"Let's go skate for a little while longer and then we can go have some hot chocolate before I take you home," Ashton suggested and we got up and went out onto the ice again for a while.

When we were both completely done with skating and Ashton had fallen on his butt a couple times, the second time bringing me down with him for laughing at him the first time, we decided to call it quits. We brought our skates to return and I put my shoes back on, walking with Ashton outside again.

"Let's go by Starbucks and get some hot chocolate," Ashton said before we walked to the Starbucks just down the street.

"Should we have them put peppermint in it too?" he asked me as we stood in line.

"Yes! I love peppermint," I looked up at Ashton and found myself completely infatuated with the way his hazel eyes looked deep brown in the lighting.

We sat at a table by the window to drink our hot chocolate and I watched people walk on the sidewalks outside. It was still pretty busy even though it was after dark and bitterly cold outside.

"Do you ever find it odd that you probably pass by a lot of the same people everyday and don't even realize it?" I asked, watching as people walked past each other without even looking at each other, knowing I do the same thing.

"Yes, all the time," he said. "I watched you come to Starbucks throughout the week for about a month before I even came and talk to you. It's crazy that we saw each other twice a week yet we never even talked."

"I'm a bit clueless to my surroundings sometimes," I laughed.

"I don't blame you," he shrugged. "A lot of times we don't want to see what's going on around us. We live in a pretty negative world and I don't like to engage in all the pessimism."

"I agree," I said. "I can't stand people who drown in negativity. I knew people like that growing up and I couldn't stand being around them."

"I don't understand why anyone would want to focus on sadness," Ashton said. "If you sit and think about sadness all the time, you're just wasting your life."

I sat and let his words sink in for a minute while I watched more people walking by outside.

"Ashton! Its snowing!" I gasped, pointing outside and bouncing a little in my seat.

"It is!" he smiled and looked outside at the little white flakes coming down.

"Come on, let's go catch snowflakes on our tongues!" I took my empty cup and Ashton's hand, dragging him outside with me and throwing my cup away before we stepped out into the cold.

He laughed at me as I moved around on the sidewalk, attempting to catch little flakes on my tongue. They melted immediately and I laughed as some landed on my eyelashes and in Ashton's hair.

"Let's head back to your truck, I'm cold," I shivered after a few minutes of goofing around in the snow.

"Yeah, and I want to get home before this gets hard to drive in," he agreed, reaching out and taking my hand and we walked down the sidewalk. My stomach turned over on its side as his fingers interlaced with mine, fitting like a glove.

He turned up the heat in his truck, driving slower than usual through the snow back to my apartment.

He parked and we got out after he told me he'd walk me up. I stopped before we went inside though, and turned around to face Ashton.

"I had a lot of fun tonight," I said, moving closer to him so I was standing directly in front of him.

"Me too," he said, though he looked confused. "I was gonna walk you up all the way--"

"I know. Yeah let's do that." I turned back around and walked into the elevator up to my floor.

We went up the elevator silently and we walked down the hallway and stopped in front of my door.

"I had fun," I repeated, smiling back up at Ashton again.

"Me too," he also repeated, smiling back at me as he took a small step closer to me.

My stomach turned over again as he leaned down towards me and I tilted my head up towards him more. His hand cupped my face as he leaned down and his warm lips touched mine, gently at first. His other hand rested on my waist and I reached up and grabbed on the collar of his jacket, letting myself melt against his touch.

He pulled away too soon and I stood looking into his eyes, still caught in the moment and slowly released my hands from his jacket.

"Thank you for tonight," I smiled, backing into the door and hitting my head on it, then laughing at my awkwardness.

"Thank you for letting me take you out, Taylor Parks. Be careful there," he smiled, leaning back down and leaving a quick kiss on my lips again before I turned around and walked into my apartment, unable to mask the ridiculous smile on my face.

"Why do you look so happy?" Luke asked me, although he already knew.

"I really, really like him Luke."


	18. Chapter 18

"Someone's having a good day," Luke remarked when he walked into the kitchen while I was making dinner, singing along to the stereo playing Ed Sheeran.

"It's been alright," I said, flipping over the chicken I was frying in the pan. "I had a really good weekend."

"We never talked about what happened on Saturday with you and Ashton," he said, standing over me. He was so tall he thought he intimidated me but I saw right through him.

"I had a good time," I said. "Do I need to say anything else?"

"What did you guys do?" He leaned over the counter and watched as I seasoned the other side of the chicken.

"I already told you, we went ice skating," I said. "After we went ice skating we got some hot chocolate from Starbucks and we came back home."

"So what made you realize that you 'really really like him' then?" He continued to interrogate me.

"I don't know, I just realized it? Between stressing over what to wear because I didn't know what he'd think of it, and seeing how dreamy his eyes looked, and after the kiss, and--"

"He finally kissed you?!" Luke got excited, standing up straight again and getting in my face.

"Yes he did," I said, pushing him away from me while I stirred the chicken around a little more.

"How was it?" Luke rested his chin in his hand, obviously waiting for juicy details.

"It was fine," I said. "It was a kiss. What else am I supposed to say?"

"Was it steamy? Was there any tongue? Did he feel you up?"

"God, Luke, you have no chill," I said. "It was our first kiss, we're not going to get 'steamy' on the first kiss.

"Okay fine but I guess now I'm gonna be getting any brownies," he sighed.

I raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for an explanation.

"Because now you're going to be spending money buying condoms and not brownies," he said as if it were obvious.

"You're gross," I rolled my eyes. "And if and when we do, I'm not going to pay for them."

"Why not?" He asked.

"Because I have to pay for shitty things that I don't even want to have to use, like tampons and shit."

"Okay, you've got a point there," Luke said, flipping open a magazine sitting on the table.

I heard my phone ringing on the counter next to me as I turned the burner off for the chicken, and my heart leaped when I saw Ashton's name on the screen. I answered it and held the phone between my ear and my shoulder as I began taking the vegetables that had been boiling and scooping them onto plates for Luke and I.

"Hey Ashton," I said into the phone right away, and Luke's head shot up. Nosy as always.

"Taylor Parks," he said back. "How are you on this fine evening?"

"Why, I'm doing quite well, how about yourself?" Luke rolled his eyes and looked back down at his magazine.

"Well I'm doing alright, though I'll be doing better when I have an answer to a question I have specifically for you," he said back.

"And what is this question?" I asked.

"Well I was just calling to ask and make sure you are still planning on meeting at our usual place in Starbucks tomorrow night," Ashton explained.

"Yes, I plan on it," I said.

"No meetings or anything?"

"Nope. I should be heading over there and get there right around 5."

"Perfect. That's all I needed to know. I have plans for us tomorrow so don't be late."

"Okay," I giggled and we said our goodbyes before I set down our plates at the table and Luke started digging in.

"What was that about?" He asked.

"Nothing, he has plans for tomorrow night I guess. It's weird, I don't know why he would make plans in the middle of the week."

"Maybe because tomorrow is Valentine's Day," Luke said.

"Oh!" I dropped my fork. Was it really?

I checked my phone and sure enough, it was.

"I didn't even realize that," I said, sitting back in my seat.

"Well either way, Calum and I were gonna go out to try and find some hot single girls to hang out with tomorrow night," Luke said, though I wasn't paying attention to what he was saying.

"Taylor? Are you okay?" He asked.

-

I walked in the front door and immediately smelled my favorite dinner; spaghetti. Josh knew it was my favorite, of course he'd make it for me on Valentine's Day.

"Babe! You didn't have to go through all this trouble for me," I smiled as I walked into the kitchen. Josh was stirring the pot of spaghetti and he smiled back at me when he saw me.

"I couldn't resist it," he said, coming over to wrap his arms around my waist and kiss me. "It's not just Valentine's Day for us, it's also our 10 month anniversary."

"Yes. How could I forget that?" I kissed him a few more times before he pulled away, turning off the burner for the spaghetti.

"I also have some French bread toasting in the oven," he explained. "I put some garlic in melted butter and spread it over the slices too, just how you like it."

"This is great, Josh, thank you," I wrapped my arms around him from behind, placing a kiss on his shoulder.

He set the plates with the spaghetti on the table and got the toast out of the oven. He placed them on the plates for us, also getting out two glasses. Oh.

The entire mood he'd set for us dropped as soon as I saw him get out the bottle of wine. I knew where this was heading already, though I didn't want to admit it to myself and I knew if I jumped to conclusions and he knew about it, things would only get worse.

"I got some wine," Josh said, pouring some into a couple glasses for us. I smiled even though I wasn't hungry anymore and honestly just wanted to go to bed before this even went anywhere.

"Thank you," I said before bringing the glass to my lips, taking a sip and setting it back down. Although the spaghetti tasted amazing it was tainted with the fear of what I knew was going to happen.

"How was your internship today?" Josh asked, eating his spaghetti.

"It was great," I said. "I finished up editing that really long story."

"Which one?" He asked. My heart sank.

"The one I told you about last week," I said. "It was over 1,000 pages long."

"I don't recall," he shrugged.

I fought back the urge to accuse him of never paying attention to any of my successes and instead asked him how his day at work was.

"It was alright," he shrugged. "You know, all the guys keep talking about how they're taking their girlfriends out for dinner and then to come home and do what you're supposed to do on Valentine's Day."

"Josh you know I'm not ready," I said, frowning at this subject arising again. I didn't want to have sex with him, I wanted to save that until I knew I was committed to someone for a long time. Josh and I just wouldn't stop fighting, all the time.

"Yeah I know Taylor." He rolled his eyes. Here we go.

I watched as he poured his second glass of wine and I stood from the table to put my plate in the sink.

"Where are you going?" He asked me.

"I'm just going to take care of my plate," I said as I continued to walk into the kitchen.

I heard his chair scoot out from the table.

He was right in front of me after I turned around from the sink.

"Why won't you look at me?" He asked. "I made you dinner, aren't you grateful for that?"

"Yes, I am. Thank you, it was delicious," I said, trying to stay on his good side.

"Oh please. I should know by now that you're not grateful for a god damn thing I do for you." His second glass of wine was gone.

He poured his third and I checked the time, praying it was getting closer to the time I could go to bed.

I washed my plate in silence and put it away, putting the leftover food into a container in the fridge. Josh could eat this for lunch at work tomorrow, I thought.

"Josh I want to go to bed early tonight," I said quietly. "I've had a long day at work and I'm really tired."

"Of course you are," he spit. "You never want to make time to spend with me anymore do you?"

"It's not that, Josh. It's that--"

"Do you even love me?" He asked. "You never show it."

"Yes, I love you. I'm just tired."

"Bullshit!" He yelled, shoving his chair back into the table, making the table rumble and my leftover glass of wine spill.

"Are you gonna clean that up?" He looked at me expectantly.

"You spilled it, you should clean it up," I said quietly.

Smack. I shouldn't have said that, I thought as I touched my hand to my cheek that was now stinging.

"Go clean it up. Now," he said and I grabbed a rag and went over to the table without another word.

I soaked up the spilled wine while tears poured out of my eyes. I saw Josh pouring another glass of wine out of the corner of my eye. What was that, the fourth one? I don't even remember.

I got up and went to the sink to wring out the rag, rinsing it in the water.

"Ugh, I'm sorry Taylor. You know how my anger gets the best of me. I didn't mean to hit you."

"I know, it's okay," I said as I reached to finish washing the dishes.

"I just really know how to screw things up don't I? This was supposed to be our night and I just had to go and ruin it." A glass plate collided with the wall a second later, a piece ricocheting off and hit me square in the eyebrow.

"Ow," I yelped as I dropped the dish in the sink, bringing my hand to my eyebrow. I pulled it away to see blood on my fingers already.

"Shit, Taylor I'm so sorry," Josh stumbled towards me. He was definitely drunk now.

"I'm fine, I'll just bandage myself up," I said, moving to go to the bathroom. I didn't want him hurting me anymore tonight.

I shut and locked the door, attempting to keep him away from me. I looked in the mirror and saw the blood dripping down my face from my eyebrow.

I got a wet washcloth and dabbed at the wound, but it kept bleeding. I sighed, knowing I was going to need stitches.

After about 15 minutes I'd managed to stop the bleeding and I walked out of the bathroom. Josh was passed out on the couch and I grabbed my keys and ran out the door to my car.

I cried the entire way over to Sophia's house. I thought maybe I should call her but I realized I'd left my phone at home.

I ran up to the door, pounding on it. I felt bad already, I was about to ruin Liam and Sophia's Valentine's Day just because I made some comment about my boyfriend cleaning up after himself.

"Taylor?" Liam opened the door and saw the awful state I was in. "Oh my god, your eyebrow! What happened? Wait, come inside first."

Liam let me inside, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and bringing me into the house.

"Sophia? It's Taylor, she's hurt," Liam called into the dining room table where Sophia was sitting, a card game on the table. They were obviously having fun before I came in and ruined it.

"Oh my goodness! Taylor, what happened?!" She stood up from the table to turn the lights up brighter, taking my face gently in her cool hands.

"Um, I tripped and hit my forehead on the corner of a counter, you know, clumsy me." I tried to laugh, but it came out sounding strained.

"Oh my goodness, let me go get my first aid kit. Liam, can you clean her up a bit please?" Sophia rushed away into the hallway and Liam sat me at the table and removed my hasty bandage to examine it better.

A few minutes later, Sophia was sitting in front of me, stitching up my eyebrow and Liam was acting like her surgical assistant, handing her the things she needed.

"Here's some ibuprofen for the pain, I'm sure you've got a massive headache right now," Sophia said, handing me a couple pills after she had finished stitching me up and put a bandage over it, a proper one.

"Thank you, I'm so sorry for ruining your night," I said.

"It's okay, are you sure you're alright?" She asked.

I nodded. "I'm just exhausted. It's been a long day."

"It's okay baby, you should just stay the night here. I don't want you driving in the state that you're in," Sophia said lovingly. I didn't know what I'd do without her.

"I don't want to put any more of a damper on your party," I said.

"You're fine," Liam said. "Your wellbeing is more important than our night. We can plan nights like this whenever we want."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Absolutely. Come here, I'll show you the guest bedroom."

-

"Taylor?" Luke snapped his fingers in my face.

"Huh?" I looked down at my chicken in front of me, snapping me back into reality.

"I asked if you're okay?" He said. "You looked like a bit of a zombie there for a minute."

"Yeah I'm fine," I shook the images I had of Josh out of my head, touching the scar on my eyebrow from that night. "I'm just kinda nervous for tomorrow."

"Why? Don't you trust Ashton?" He asked, looking at my hand over my eyebrow.

"I do," I said. "I'm just nervous is all."

"Well don't be nervous, I'm sure everything is going to be fine."

"You're right." I was overreacting. Ashton was not Josh, I could tell he was nothing like that asshole.

"Come on, finish your dinner. I want to watch a new movie that came out," Luke said.


	19. Chapter 19

"Hey Taylor," Michael waved me over to his table with Niall and I smiled and sat down for a few minutes.

"Hey guys." I pulled out my sandwich and joined in on their conversation.

"She loves Mexican food so I'm going to take her to this Mexican restaurant downtown for dinner," Niall said.

"Nice," Michael nodded. "Julie hates going out on Valentine's Day so I'm making her some dinner at home and we're going to watch movies."

"I'm guessing Megan will just want to hang out and watch corny chick flicks," Niall rolled his eyes. "I'll run her a hot bath with bubbles and rose petals."

"Oh Niall that's so thoughtful and romantic, she'll love that," I encouraged him. A hot bath sounded so nice.

"Do you have plans with Ashton, Taylor?" Michael asked.

"Well he said he has plans but I don't know what he has planned yet," I said. "All he said was to meet at our usual spot in Starbucks and to not be late."

"Oh he's got a plan alright," Michael grinned. "When Ashton talks like that, he's got something planned out and he's going to try to make it absolutely perfect."

My stomach twisted in excitement for what it might be.

"Well I've got a ton of stuff to do," Michael said. "We have so much to do in finance now with the possibility of a merging company, we can't get a single break with all this work."

"Have a great time with Julie tonight," I said to Michael as he left.

"We've got lots to do in editing too," Niall said. "We should both get to them."

"You're right," I nodded. "I'll see you around."

-

I walked into Starbucks right around 5:00 pm and Ashton was sitting waiting patiently in our usual spot.

"Taylor Parks," he smiled and pulled me in for a hug before taking my arm and walking with me right back out the door.

"Don't worry, I already cleared this up with Luke," he winked at me, holding my hand as we walked down the sidewalk. His truck was parked in one of the parallel parking spots and we got in right away and he pulled out onto the street.

"I may be bad at parking in parking lots but I am great at parallel parking," he bragged.

"I remember your asshole parking from our first date," I laughed. "I should have brought sidewalk chalk to make a special parking place for you."

"I'll let you do that sometime just because it'll bring you joy," he said.

Before long we were in a small neighborhood and going down the roads until we reached a somewhat small house.

"Is this your house?" I asked when we got out of his truck and walked up to the door. Of course it is, are you dumb Taylor?

"Yes it is," he smiled.

He opened the door and his house smelled like cedar and cinnamon, like how he usually smells. He must burn candles that smell like it.

I took off my shoes and jacket at the front door, leaving me in my socks and sweater as I followed Ashton through his living room and into his kitchen.

His kitchen made me want to drool. It had black marble countertops, an oak table and stainless steel sink. The floors were almost blinding how white they were, and I already knew his house was going to make my apartment look like a dump.

"Shit," I whispered, looking at the cream colored wallpaper with flowers lining the edges.

"Are you alright?" Ashton asked, reaching into the fridge to pull out a metal disposable pan with foil over the top, preheating the glorious oven.

"Can I cook in here?" I asked, running my finger over the smooth countertop. God I would kill for a kitchen like this.

"Well I mean, I already made dinner for tonight but sometime you could come over and I'd be more than happy to let you cook in here," he chuckled.

"This is the most beautiful kitchen I have ever seen," I said, still admiring every little bit of it. "How do you even keep up on it everyday? Do you have a maid?"

"No," he laughed. "I like to do the clean up myself, and I don't want another woman in my house anyways."

I took a deep breath before I lost my mind completely over this kitchen. It is just a kitchen, I told myself.

"What did you make for dinner?" I asked as the oven beeped and Ashton placed the covered pan inside.

"I made spaghetti last night and I'm warming it up now. I figured since you love Italian food that spaghetti would be a good choice," he explained, smiling at me.

"Oh." My mind drifted back to last Valentine's Day, but I pushed it aside.

"Is that okay?" Ashton looked at me concerned. "You like spaghetti right?"

"Yeah I love spaghetti. It's my favorite..."

"Then why do you look so pale?" He asked, moving closer to me. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, pushing hair out of my face. "Could I have some water?"

"Yeah." He reached into a cupboard and took out a glass, filling it with water from the sink and handing it to me.

I sipped at it, sitting down at the table.

"I've just had some past experiences with spaghetti that weren't very pleasant is all," I said, hoping he wouldn't ask anymore questions.

"I can make something else--"

"No really it's fine Ashton," I insisted. "You went through the trouble of making it already and I'm sure it's delicious, I don't want that effort to go to waste."

"Are you sure?" He asked, looking concerned.

"I'm sure." I smiled to emphasize my point.

Before long the spaghetti was out of the oven and Ashton sat with me at the table to eat.

"This spaghetti is wonderful," I complimented Ashton, truly meaning it. It was probably some of the best I'd had.

"It's 'second day' spaghetti because it was in the fridge overnight," he said. "And I love spaghetti on the second day because the sauce can absorb into the noodles and make them taste even better."

"I'm not sure that's how it works but I like second day spaghetti too," I laughed at his theory.

"I don't know what it is about it, but I always make sure I have leftovers with spaghetti so I can eat it for lunch the next day," Ashton said, finishing up his plate.

"Me too!" I exclaimed. "Luke always gets angry at me for making so much."

"Luke doesn't get it," Ashton shook his head.

"But he enjoys having the leftovers as well, as much as he hates to admit it," I laughed.

"Here, I'll take your plate," Ashton said after I took the last bite of my spaghetti. He rinsed our plates off and placed them in the dishwasher, making sure the oven was turned off.

I followed Ashton into the living room and watched him start a fire in the fireplace, sitting on the floor. The carpet in here was almost as comfortable as my couch.

Once a fire was crackling away, Ashton disappeared down the hallway, claiming he'd "be right back."

I look at the walls, which were an elegant burgundy color. Pictures of what appeared to be a young Ashton and what were probably his siblings sat on the mantle and a couple on the wall.

I found myself growing envious of what a happy family Ashton probably grew up with. No wonder he seemed so put together now, he had no reason to not be.

A moment later he returned holding a board game and sat down with me on the floor.

"I hope you like Monopoly," he smiled, opening the top of the box. Oh.

"Yeah, I play it sometimes with Luke," I said. That wasn't really true, Luke tried playing it with me but it brought back too many memories of Josh. This evening is reminding me more and more of what happened a year ago, I thought.

No, I argued with myself mentally. I cannot turn this into something that it's not.

"I always played this with my family growing up," Ashton said. "I thought it would be fun to share this with you."

"Yeah absolutely." I smiled and tried to stay enthusiastic. As long as he doesn't pick the--

"My favorite piece was always the car," he said. God damn it.

"Taylor are you alright?" Ashton asked, stopping what he was doing to lean towards me.

"I'm sorry Ashton," I sighed. "I'm just having a little Deja Vu."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"My ex from college always wanted to play Monopoly and he always wanted to be the car," I said. "I know, it's so stupid. I'm sorry, I just need to get over it."

"We can play a different game if you want," he offered.

"We don't have to," I said. "I just need to calm down."

"Really, I don't mind playing a different game," Ashton put the pieces back in the box and I didn't stop him. "I'm sorry. Do you like the Game of Life?"

"Yes," I managed to smile. "I love the Game of Life."

"Okay." Ashton hurried out of the room and came back a minute later with the new board game.

An uncomfortable silence took over as I helped him set up the board and I went to start but Ashton stopped me.

"Wait stop." He took my hand away from the board and I looked up at him, away from the game.

"What?" I asked.

"I'm sorry about this," he said. "It's just..."

"What?" I asked again.

"I know you're hiding things from me," he said quietly. "And I don't want you to. I want to know what goes on in your head, no matter what it is. I can handle it and I know you're holding back from me."

I looked away from his intense gaze. The room seemed to have less oxygen than it did a minute ago.

"I just don't want you hiding things from me because I want to know what makes you act the way you do," he said. "I know someone's hurt you and I don't know why or how but I want to prove to you that I'm not that person and I don't want to ever hurt you."

"Luke is my best friend," I said. "I'm closer with him than anyone else and he doesn't even know."

"I want to," he said. "I want to know how you've been treated so I can prove to you that I can treat you how you deserve to be treated, and you should know that you deserve the best."

"I don't want to talk about it tonight Ashton," I said. "We're supposed to be having fun. It's Valentine's Day."

"Okay." After a moment Ashton finally turned his attention back to the game and we started playing.

Luckily it didn't take long for the tension to dissolve from the room and before long we were both laughing and joking around.

"Jesus, this is the 5th baby I've had!" Ashton laughed, placing a little blue baby piece into his car. 

"I haven't even had any yet! Stop taking all the children!" I shoved his arm playfully.

"It's not my fault!" He laughed even harder. "I think my wife is cheating on me. Some of these kids are coming out black."

"Ashton!" I screeched, though I was laughing at his crude joke as well.

"You're ridiculous," I said once I'd stopped laughing and watched as he spun for his next turn.

"Yeah but so are you," he smirked back at me as he moved his pieces again.

"At least I'm not making bad jokes," I said.

"Laughing at them is just as bad as making them," he teased back as I went for my turn next.

Our playful banter continued over our next few turns until Ashton spun again, moving his piece.

"God damn it I just landed on another baby," Ashton rolled his eyes. "This game is dumb."

"You're the one who suggested we play it," I shrugged.

"That's only because we weren't going to play Monopoly," he said.

"But Monopoly is just as dumb as this game," I said. "If not worse."

"Do you enjoy any board games?" He asked, not even paying attention to the game anymore.

"Yes." I crossed my arms. "I just like doing other things better."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Oh I don't know," I smirked, leaning closer to him. "I might have an idea of something better we could do."

Ashton seemed to catch on, his mouth turning into a little smirk. "I don't think I'm picking up on what you're getting at," he leaned closer as well, obviously just wanting to hear me say it.

"No I think you are so why don't you tell me?" I placed my hand on the floor between us.

"Why don't I just show you?" He leaned in even closer, my heart pounding like a bass drum against my chest.

"What about the game?" I whispered, his lips brushing mine.

Ashton answered my question by reaching next to us and flipping the entire board over, scattering pieces of the game all over the floor while he wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed me, pulling me closer to him.

This time our kiss was more passionate than the one we'd had a few days before. I twirled my fingers around the hair at the bottom of his neck, using my other hand to place on his shoulder while he slid one hand around the bottom of my sweater, igniting my skin as he touched it.

He leaned back against the couch sitting behind him and I took the opportunity to maneuver myself onto his lap, running my fingers through his hair as his fingernails scraped gently across the skin on my back, making me shiver against his touch.

I pulled away long enough to take a deep breath and leaned back in to kiss him again, holding his warm cheek with one of my hands while the other rested on his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat against my palm. His hand slid from under my shirt and grabbed onto my hip, pulling me closer to him. I pulled away once again for air.

"Don't you think we should get back to that game?" I said in his ear, making him laugh. I laid my head on his shoulder, my hand still resting on his slowing heartbeat.

"If this is how we're always going to end up playing board games maybe we should do it more often," I said, moving so that I was able to look at his dilated eyes.

"If you insist," he smirked, and I leaned in to kiss him one more time.

"You should probably get me home," I said. "It's getting late and I have to work tomorrow."

"You're probably right." Though neither of us moved from where we were.

"Thank you for tonight," I said, laying my head back against his shoulder again. "This has been the best Valentine's Day I've had so far."

"Me too," he sighed, wrapping his arms around my waist and I closed my eyes, enjoying the moment.

"Let's get going," he said after a minute, lifting me from him and beginning to pick up the scattered game pieces.

"I mean it, let's do this again sometime," I said, smiling at Ashton as I helped him pick up the game pieces.

"I'll see what I can arrange," he winked.


	20. Chapter 20

My alarm clock buzzed in my ears, waking me from my nice dreams. I glared at it, sitting up and turning it off before dragging myself out of bed.

I didn't hear Luke come in at all the night before. Ashton had dropped me off and walked me up and stayed for me to check if Luke was even home yet, which ended in us making out again for a few minutes. This party was crashed when Ashton insisted he needed to get home because he had to work in the morning as well.

I trudged down the hallway, flipping the light on in Luke's room to find an empty bed, still made. Luke obviously never came home the night before.

He was either murdered or went home with some single girl that wanted to get laid as badly as he did. I assumed the second option and decided that if I didn't see him at Starbucks then I'd get concerned.

Although I had a ton of fun with Ashton the night before, I was a little stressed about what we did talk about. I knew I couldn't hide everything from Ashton forever. If he didn't leave because of me hiding things from him then he'd eventually figure it out.

I didn't know why I kept it a secret honestly. I think it was because I was just embarrassed by it, and that mixed in with not wanting to focus on what happened in the past and try to move forward. And maybe I also wanted to protect Ashton from anything that might come along with all the mistakes I made in the past.

It didn't take me long to get ready and I was out the door in no time. I left a note on the table to for Luke to text me if he came home at any point during the day.

"Good morning Taylor!" Niall threw his arm around me in the elevator on the way up to the editing floor.

"Someone's in a good mood," I laughed. "How was your night with Megan last night?"

"It was great!" He smiled. "Luckily she didn't want to watch corny chick flicks and I ran her that bubble bath with rose petals like I told you, and she loved it."

"I knew she would," I smiled back. "Rose petals and hot bubble baths are the way to almost every girls heart."

"I'll keep that in mind." We stepped out of the elevator, my heel catching on the edge and making me lose my balance and fall.

"Whoa, careful there," luckily Niall reached out and caught my arm, steadying me.

"Thanks, I'm such a klutz," I laughed.

"Have a good day, don't fall too much," Niall teased, walking down the hall in the opposite direction.

"Thanks." I rolled my eyes and walked down the hall to my office.

The morning was long, and I was so tired I kept nearly falling asleep. I had to reread the same sentences over and over again. No matter what I did, I couldn't get stay focused.

Giving up, I sighed and decided I needed a break. I called Niall in his office.

"Hey Taylor, long time no speak," he joked.

"Funny," I said. "Listen, I was gonna head up the street to get lunch and was wondering if you wanted to join me."

"Sure! I'll be done in about 10 minutes and I'll meet you in the lobby," he said.

"Okay great." I hung up and decided I could withstand another few minutes of this story before grabbing my jacket and heading down to the lobby.

Niall came out of the next elevator that came down.

"How was your night with Ashton last night?" Niall asked me as we sat and waited for our food.

"It was fun," I said, blushing at the memory of us making out instead of playing the board game. "He made dinner and we played the Game of Life."

"Ooh, what did he make?" Niall was always interested when it came to food.

"Spaghetti," I informed him. Nialls plate of food was placed in front of him by the waiter, promising me that mine will be ready soon.

"Oh I love spaghetti," Niall said. "My mom would always make the best spaghetti when I was young."

"I don't know, Ashton's was pretty good," I said, my plate of pasta now arriving.

"Nothing compares to my moms cooking Taylor!" Niall twirled his noodles on this fork. "I'm surprised I was never fat growing up, I would eat so much because she made such wonderful food."

"I've been cooking full meals since I was 13, AND taught a college boy everything he knows about cooking," I bragged. "You should come over for dinner sometime and I bet my cooking with compare at least a little with your moms."

"Maybe," he said. "But I will take up your offer on dinner because I cannot deny my love food."

I laughed, wondering why I didn't spend more time with Niall. He was always making jokes and full of life and sunshine.

"You know, don't tell Michael this but I think he's gonna pop the question to Julie pretty soon if you know what I mean," he said. "He's been dropping hints about it left and right. He even asked me what I thought of a diamond ring online."

"Are you serious? That's so exciting!" I said. I was sucker for happy couples.

"I've never seen him so happy with anyone else," Niall said. "I'm surprised he still hasn't asked her yet."

"That's cute," I said. "Julie is so sweet."

"Oh and I also heard that some secretary is trying to get in Mr. Styles' pants," Niall laughed. "This will be like the 4th one!"

"Oh my god," I knew I shouldn't be laughing but Niall's laugh was extremely contagious and it was a little funny that those girls actually thought that they could sleep with their boss like in movies. Mr. Styles was far too respectful for those kind of escapades anyways.

"Don't they know that kind of thing only happens in corny romance novels and movies?" I said. "You'd think girls would have more common sense these days."

"I guess not," he said, finishing the last of his plate. "But I mean, I don't blame them. He's a very good looking man."

I laughed at Niall's blunt opinion. The one thing I loved about him was that he didn't care about what anyone thought of what he said.

"Well we should get going back to the office soon," he said. "Our lunch break is almost over."

"Yes," I agreed. I waved at the waiter for the bill.

The afternoon wasn't nearly as slow for me. Deciding to get lunch with Niall was a good decision, it improved my mood and I managed through the afternoon.

By the time I was off work I still hadn't heard anything from Luke so I decided to see if he was working. I stopped by Starbucks, wanting to just go home.

Sure enough, he was behind the counter smiling at the customer. I rolled my eyes.

I walked up and Luke smiled at me. "How was your night with Ashton?"

"It was fine," I said. "Why didn't you text me or anything?"

"Sorry mom," he said. "I was getting laid."

"I figured as much."

"She was so hot, oh my god Taylor even you'd agree. She had the most gorgeous hair, it was almost your color but like a little lighter," he said. "And she was a killer in bed! I think I had like 3 orgasms last night."

"Okay, TMI," I said, rolling my eyes. "Can I just get some tea?"

"You're just jealous because you didn't get laid last night," he smirked. "Or did you? Have you and Ashton taken it to the next level?"

"No." I rolled my eyes. "You're annoying."

"Here's your tea, please take the stick out of your ass." He smiled, blowing me a kiss.

I flipped him my middle finger in return, turning around but he stopped me.

"Let's go do something this weekend," he said. "I haven't gotten much time with you because Ashton has been hogging you lately."

"Alright, are we going to watch an entire tv series on Netflix?"

"No I have plans," he said. "But just promise me you won't make plans with Ashton this weekend so I get some time with you."

"Okay I won't," I said. "Can you make dinner tonight? I'm exhausted."

"Yeah," he said. "Is everything alright between you and Ashton?"

"Yeah," I said. "I'm just tired because I've had a long day."

"Alright, I'll be off in about 20 minutes," he said.

"Okay." I sat down at my usual spot, opening a magazine to pass the time.

*I had fun last night. Sorry I didn't text you sooner, I've had a long day. I hope you have a wonderful night Taylor Parks.*

I smiled when I saw the text from Ashton, making me feel a little better.

I sipped my tea and closed my eyes and leaned my head back while I waited for Luke to get off.


	21. Chapter 21

"Whats the weirdest thing you've ever done?" Luke asked me Friday night as we were making dinner.

"The weirdest thing I've ever done?" I repeated. "I don't know, why?"

"No reason," he said. "I just think whatever it is isn't going to beat how weird what we're going to be doing tomorrow night."

"Please tell me what you have planned is legal," I said, wondering what it could possibly be.

"Oh it's totally legal," he said. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it almost as much as the old ladies."

"What?"

"Nothing! I'm hungry, pay attention to dinner." Luke walked out of the kitchen without any other explanation. I made a face at him as he left.

Dinner didn't take long to make, and afterwards I decided to relax and unwind from the week. I ran a hot bath, inspired by Niall's plans he made for Megan on Valentine's Day. I poured a couple drops of peppermint oil into the water and sighed as the smell opened my sinuses.

I stayed in so long I looked like a raisin when I got out, not realizing how long I'd actually been in the water. I went to bed early, too tired to deal with anything else for the day.

-

"Taylor come on, you are such a lazy ass." I woke up to Luke nudging me and when I didn't answer him he sat on me.

"Ow! Luke you have the boniest butt I have ever been sat on with!" I shoved him off the bed, cocooning myself in my blankets again and practically hissing at the sunlight coming from the blinds Luke had just opened.

"Wow you're actually alive!" Why did he have so much energy this early in the morning?

"Taylor come on its 10:30," Luke groaned. "I'm bored and you shouldn't be sleeping all day."

I groaned and rolled over to face him. He was looking down at me expectantly.

"5 minutes," I mumbled, closing my eyes again.

"Only 5!" Luke got off my bed and left my room, finally giving me a moment of peace.

I got out of bed and went into the kitchen, not changing out of my sweats and t-shirt yet. Luke was making breakfast, I am so blessed.

"I made hash browns because I felt sorry for you," Luke said, finishing the eggs he was cooking.

"Why do you feel sorry for me?" I sat down at the table, watching him dish them onto plates.

"I don't know, you just kinda looked pathetic in there all wrapped up like a burrito."

"Thanks."

Luke set a plate on the table for me and I got right into it.

"What time are your plans?" I asked.

"I want to leave by 5," he said. "There's a bus we can take that'll get us less than a block from the place we're going."

"Okay," I said, still wondering what it was he had planned.

"I figured you and your weird little routines you'd want time to clean up our already spotless apartment," Luke rolled his eyes.

"The apartment is not spotless," I argued. "The carpets should be vacuumed at least once a week, and the floor in here needs to be mopped and the shelves and stereo in the living room need to be dusted and--"

"Yeah, yeah," he said, waving his hand at me to be quiet. "I got you up so you'd have time to do all that jazz."

"I hope you plan on helping. You live in this apartment too."

"I made breakfast!"

"I always make breakfast and I still clean."

Luke groaned, rolling his eyes. "Fine but only because I want to get out the door on time."

"Good."

Before long I was already cleaning the living room, Luke doing the dishes from breakfast and I'd bribed him into sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor.

Within a couple hours all the house work was done and I decided I should do something with my appearance. Knowing Luke, we wouldn't be going anywhere fancy so I brushed my hair and pulled it into a ponytail. I washed my face and didn't bother putting makeup on. I decided it wouldn't be socially acceptable to wear sweats out in public so I put on a pair of jeans and a sweater, my usual attire.

I spent the remainder of the afternoon reading. Around 4:45 Luke came in bugging me about leaving.

"I'm ready to go, chill out," I said, getting up and putting my shoes on.

We walked to the bus station down the street from our apartment and waited for a few minutes. The bus came right at 5:15 and we got on, sitting close to the front.

"One of us really needs to get a car," I said, cringing at a man who sat in front of us that reeked of alcohol.

"Yeah, I'm going to have one soon," Luke said. "I was looking today."

"I could dip into my savings and get one," I said. "Anything but all this public transportation."

The bus dropped us off somewhere about 10 minutes later, and Luke and I stepped into the crisp February evening air.

"This way." Luke placed an arm around my shoulder, walking with me down the sidewalk. I understood what we were doing the moment we got to the parking lot.

"Really?" I almost laughed as Luke walked us inside.

"Yes!" Luke said. "I've been wanting to do this for so long!"

-

"Ooh! Bingo! Bingo!" the woman on the other side of Luke threw her arm up in the air, waving it at her success.

We'd been playing Bingo with these old people for about 45 minutes now and I was having the most fun I'd had in a long time.

Luke kept talking rather loudly, making the man in front of us turn around and rudely "shh" him multiple times, and of course Luke wouldn't be able to control his laughter when the man would turn around.

"G21," the woman standing at the front of the room said into her microphone. "G21."

"Hey Taylor, I almost have a Bingo," Luke leaned over and whispered to me. I laughed at his chart. It had 2 spots marked in totally different places, one of them being the free space in the middle.

"Excuse me, miss!" a mousy looking woman next to me tapped on my shoulder. "Quiet down, would you?"

"Sorry," I whispered, turning back to Luke quickly.

"B7," the woman said into the microphone. "B7."

Oh god.

"B7?!" Luke stood from his seat. "B7?! You sunk my battleship!"

I couldn't handle it anymore. I bursted out laughing, as did Luke, earning us about 30 blank stares from everyone in the room in front of us, including the woman calling out the numbers.

"Excuse me," a man in an awful polo and khakis tapped on our shoulders. "You two troublemakers have been too much of a distraction to these people wanting to play. I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

"But I haven't gotten a Bingo yet!" Luke protested, though he stood from his seat and he couldn't hide the smirk he had on his face.

"That's too bad," the man said. "Now leave before I call security."

Luke and I walked out the door, and then bursted out laughing as soon as the door shut behind us.

"They have security at a Bingo place?!" Luke was practically crying.

"Luke you are so awful!" I laughed. "All those poor old people had no idea why you were being so rambunctious!"

"Oh well," he said, catching his breath. "I'm hungry. Let's go get something for dinner."

-

"I can't wait to tell Calum about that," Luke said as we ate our burgers. I was in no mood or appearance to go to somewhere nicer than a burger place.

"Yeah I bet you can't," I smirked at him and he rolled his eyes at me.

"Ashton will love the story too I'm sure," Luke said. "Too bad I stole you for the weekend."

"Excuse you, I am not a piece of property. I pick who I spend time with, you should feel privileged."

"I could tell Ashton you never want to see him again," Luke said. "Or that you moved somewhere to get away from him."

"He wouldn't believe you," I replied. "He knows I wouldn't do that."

"Does he?" Luke raised his eyebrows. "You two are getting serious now?"

"Luke we aren't even officially together." I rolled my eyes. "All I'm saying is that I think he knows I'm not going to just leave since we made out in his living room on Valentine's Day."

"You what now?" Luke set his burger down, looking at me and smirking.

Shit.

"Um... I said we made hamburgers in his living room." I am a horrible liar.

"You didn't tell me about this part," Luke said. "Now I want to know what happened."

"Nothing happened," I rolled my eyes. "We just kissed a little."

"A little."

"Okay a lot," I rolled my eyes. "But it wasn't anything you and I haven't tried to do."

"But when we did it it was weird," Luke said. "Like kissing my sister."

"Yeah but still."

"Was it steamy?" Luke wiggled his stupid eyebrows at me again.

"Will you stop doing that?! It's creepy!" I threw a fry at him across the table, making him laugh.

"Let's go home," he said. "I've had enough events for one day."

"Me too," I said. I was done with being social for the time being and I just wanted to go home and relax.

It didn't take us long to get home, and when we did we sat on the kitchen floor eating ice cream straight out of the tub, laughing like idiots.

Luke flung a spoonful of ice cream at me, landing it in my hair.

"Luke! I just washed my hair yesterday!" I yelled, but I couldn't stop laughing.

"Well I guess you're gonna have to wash it again," he said, placing the spoon in his mouth and smiling at me.

I took a spoonful of my own ice cream and flung it at Luke, hitting him in the forehead and it dripping between his eyes and down his nose.

"Hey!" he laughed, wiping it off his face and reaching over to wipe it on my clothes.

"No!" I screeched, smacking his hand away but he used his other hand to pull me closer to him and he wiped it all over my sweater.

"You ass!" I pushed the tub of ice cream aside, licking my hand and moving towards Luke with it. 

"Ew no!" he scrambled away from me but I dove after him, shoving it in his face.

"You're gonna pay for that," he said, pushing my hand away before pinning me on the floor and licking my face, all the way from my chin up to my forehead while I screeched in laughter the entire time.

"You're disgusting!" I yelled, pushing him off of me.

"You're the one who keeps asking for it!"

"You started it!"

Our laughter was stopped by a knocking on our door, and we both went to open it up, me wiping my face off with my sweater.

An angry looking neighbor was at the door.

"I don't know what is going on in here but you are keeping me awake while I am trying to sleep!" she said angrily. "Now could you two please keep it down?!"

"Yes, sorry ma'am," I said. "We will tone it down a bit."

"Thank you," she grumbled and turned around, and I shut the door, looked up at Luke and we both bursted out in laughter again.

"We really are troublemakers aren't we?" he laughed.

"Yes, we are."

After our cleanup in the kitchen and we'd both changed and I'd rinsed the ice cream out of my hair--planning on washing it when I showered in the morning--Luke sat on the couch flipping through the channels.

"Are we gonna watch some dumb movie?" I asked, sitting next to him and leaning into his side. He wrapped his arm around me.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm looking for right now," he said. "Are you sure Ashton is going to be okay with this?"

"With what?" I asked.

"Cuddling," he said. "He's not going to come fight me about it is he?"

"Nah," I said. "He'll just get jealous and try to cuddle me better. It's okay because I like cuddling."

"I do it best."

"Sure."

"I do. You know I'm the best at cuddling."

"It's only because you have long arms," I said. "I bet Ashton could cuddle just as well as you."

"No he can't!" Luke stopped on some corny movie that we've both seen and made fun of at least 20 times. "I'm the best!"

"Then prove it!" I laughed, making Luke pull me closer to him and grumble something about having to prove his skills. The way he got so defensive about his cuddling was so cute. He's such a dork.

"I'll see if this fits my criteria for best cuddling." I leaned my head against Luke's shoulder, feeling sleepy.

"It will, and you know it," he said. "Now shut up so I can watch this."

"You hate this movie."

"I said shut up! God Taylor you're annoying as hell."

"I put up with so much living with you. I don't know how I handle it sometimes."

"Love you too honey."

I rolled my eyes at him, too tired to bicker anymore.

"Let's go mess around with the bingo people again sometime," he said. "That was fun."

"Yes," I agreed. I closed my eyes, his warmth and heartbeat sedating me.

"Are you falling asleep?"

"Mhm."

"I told you my cuddling was the best," he huffed. I was too sleepy to argue by then.

"Thanks for today," I mumbled. "It was fun."

Luke brushed my hair off of my forehead, his cool hands relaxing me and before I knew I was falling into a peaceful slumber.


	22. Chapter 22

"Taylor." I jumped at the sound of my name from Michael, who seemed to appear right beside me.

"Jesus Michael, you scared me half to death," I said, placing a hand over my heart and sighing, reaching to refill my  
coffee cup.

"Making an extra stop for coffee today," he said. "You must be having an especially exhausting day."

I shrugged. "I don't know, I'm just not feeling it today." I've been "not feeling it" a lot lately.

"That's okay," he said. "Coffee makes everything better."

I managed to smile back at him before heading back into my office.

"Hey wait!" I turned around and Michael stepped into the elevator with me.

"I'm having another party," he explained. "It's this Friday at the same place. It's for something, uh, special. And it would be cool if you and Luke came."

"Yeah definitely," I smiled. "I'll see if Luke wants to come, but I'll be there."

"Great," he smiled back at me and got off on his floor, waving a quick goodbye.

The morning dragged on, and I was about to just call it quits right after lunch when I got a phone call from the front desk.

"Hey Taylor, you have a visitor," he front desk receptionist who was always tugging her top down and showing cleavage for Mr. Styles said into the phone.

"Who is it?" I asked, slightly uneasy.

"His name is Chris, he claims to be your brother," she said. "He said he just wants to talk for a few minutes. Should I send him up?"

"Yeah." I felt like my insides turned to liquid as I hung up the phone, waiting for him to make his appearance in my office.

7 months. Its been 7 months since I've seen him, and there could only be a couple reasons why he was here, none of which could be any good.

There was a knock on my door a moment later, and I stood from my seat, saying "come in."

Sure enough, it was Chris. Tall and lean, his light brown hair laying lightly against his head, his eyes still brown as ever. He smiled and opened his arms to me.

"Hi Tay," I welcomed his hug and wrapped my arms around him as well, slightly relieved at the smile he had. Hopefully that was a sign that whatever he was here for couldn't be too terrible.

"It's been 7 months Taylor," he said, sitting down in one of the seats. "How's Seattle?"

"It's good," I said. "I told you about my roommate Luke, the last time we talked, and he's doing well too."

"That's good to hear," he said. "Unfortunately I've been designated to be the bearer of bad news."

"Just tell me what it is," I said, sitting down at my desk and preparing for whatever he was going to tell me.

"Mom started drinking again about a month ago," he said.

"Oh god." I covered my eyes, leaning my elbows on my desk.

"She was driving home drunk and she got into a car accident and she's in the hospital," he explained. "She went right into a telephone pole. She's not in a coma or anything but she has some serious injuries and the doctors don't know if she'll be able to make it. There's a good chance that she will but they just don't know."

"I need to come back with you to Albany," I said.

"No." He stopped me from continuing any more of my thought. "You're staying here, and that's an order."

"But--"

"It's too dangerous," he said. "Taylor, I'm sure mom will be fine. There's too much risk for you to come back to Albany and I'm surprised you even want anything to do with Mom after the way she treated you."

"Chris, I can't just make her feel like I don't care--"

"Why Taylor?" he challenged me. "Why does she deserve that from you after all the shit she said to you and all that she put you through when we were growing up? I'm sorry if I sound heartless but I don't want you coming back to Albany just for her. I'll keep you updated on what happens, but you can't come back. You know what'll happen if you do."

I sighed, knowing he was right. "I just feel like there's so much I left behind when I left there."

"It's nothing you can't live without," he said. "I just wanted you to know what's going on, I'm here until tomorrow morning with business work so I figured I should stop by and see you and let you know while I'm here."

I nodded. "I should get back to work anyways."

"I'll call you when I know more about the situation," he said, standing up. I stood as well.

We stood for a minute, not sure what to do or say. Finally, Chris pulled me in for another hug.

"I love you Taylor," he said.

"I love you too Chris."

-

"I hate the wind so much," I complained, sitting down with Ashton in our usual spot, practically frozen still from the bitter cold wind outside.

"You look like an ice cube!" Ashton helped me take my jacket off, wrapping his own warm one around me to thaw my frozen body faster.

"I'll go get us some cider," he said, standing from where he was sitting.

"Wait I'll come with you, I want to say hi to Luke."

Ashton and I walked up to the counter, Luke being goofy and obnoxious as always. Ashton joined in on it and I tried to laugh but it just wasn't working.

"Are you doing alright?" Ashton asked me as we waited for Luke to make the cider.

"Yeah I'm fine, I'm just a bit off," I said.

"Did something happen?" he asked.

"My brother came and visited me at work today." Luke's head popped up, interested in this information as well. I didn't want to be lying to either of them when I didn't have to be.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, he was just in town for business stuff and stopped by to say hi." It wasn't a lie.

"Oh well that's nice of him," Ashton said, taking the ciders Luke handed him over the counter.

"Yeah, it was nice seeing him again," I said, walking back to our spot. I sat down close to Ashton, still cold from the outside wind and seeking warmth. He seemed to pick up on this and leaned closer, putting an arm around me.

"It's only Tuesday and I'm already exhausted from the week," I sighed, closing my eyes and leaning my head against his shoulder.

"Once the week is over you'll be able to sleep in on Saturday and Sunday," he said. "Won't that be nice?"

"Yeah it will be." I wanted it to be Friday already.

"Hey, did Michael invite you to that party he's having on Friday?" Ashton asked me.

"Yes," I said. "I told him I was going."

"Good, because I said I was too and I have no idea what to do at those things. I always just end up standing around on my phone."

I laughed a little, remembering how at the last party Michael had, Ashton had occupied himself by looking at DVDs on shelves when he wasn't talking to me.

"Well I'll be there so don't worry," I said, reaching for my cider to take a sip.

"Little Taylor Parks coming to the rescue," he teased.

"I'm not that little."

"You're pretty little."

"Pretty yes, little no."

Ashton laughed, letting me pull away enough to take off his jacket, which was actually basically hanging on me because it was so big on me. I stayed sitting close to Ashton just because he smelled good.

"I need to get a car," I said. "Then I won't be walking in this freezing cold weather."

"I could give you rides, you know," he said. "Tuesday's and Thursday's I could pick you up from work and bring you here with me."

"It's okay," I said. "Luke said he's been looking at cars lately, I need to get one too and if you offer that I will just continue to procrastinate."

The next 20 minutes or so we spent talking and Ashton was able to ease my nerves about Chris a little. I waited for Luke to get off and we took a bus home, which reminded Luke to tell me that he found 2 decent cars we could pick between to buy so we'd have at least one vehicle soon.

The evening went by slowly and I was too tired to wait for my usual bedtime to come around. I collapsed into bed and tried not to worry about what was going on in Albany.


	23. Chapter 23

I sat at my desk, flipping through the story I'd been sitting with for hours now, still unable to focus long enough to actually edit the stupid thing. I had a headache that was only getting exponentially worse, and was probably going to develop itself into a migraine soon.

I had taken my lunch break in my office, not wanting to go out and talk with Niall and Michael. It wasn't that I didn't want to talk to them, it was just that I didn't want to be around anyone.

I didn't even know why I was still at work. I wasn't doing anything, I definitely wasn't accomplishing anything and I certainly didn't even want to be there. I was probably just staying so I didn't feel down on myself about leaving early and giving up.

I knew Thursday's I was supposed to spend with Ashton at Starbucks but I just wasn't feeling it. I texted both him and Luke to inform them that I would be coming straight home from work because I had a massive headache and just wanted to lie down.

I made it out the door from work in time to not run into anyone so I could catch the bus back to my apartment. When I got inside, I first took my heels off of my aching feet and changed into sweats, sighing of relief when I removed my bra. I proceeded to collapse in my cool bed, my headache subsiding slightly.

After a few minutes I knew I needed to take something or my headache wasn't going to go anywhere. I got out of bed to get in the kitchen and take some aspirin, wrapping myself in a blanket and laying on the couch.

I turned the tv on some dumb show to distract myself, only to turn it back off when I answered my phone to find it was Chris calling me.

"Hello?" I answered, suddenly anxious about what news he had.

"Hey Taylor," he said. "I just wanted to call to let you know, mom is stable and they think she'll be leaving the hospital within a couple weeks. She's recovering well."

"That's good," I sighed, relieved that nothing horrible happened to her. She was my mom, after all and she did give me life.

"There's bad news with it though," he said.

"Go on."

"Once she's out of the hospital, her license is suspended, she has to go to rehab, and she's got a pretty hefty fine for the telephone pole she ran into," he said. "She's doing better but she really needs help."

"Yeah, going to rehab will be good for her," I said. "This kind of thing can't be happening, I thought she was past this."

"We all did Taylor," he said. "How have you been holding these past few days?"

"Well, I mean I've been surviving," I said honestly. "I don't know what's gotten into me lately. Maybe it's just because this was the time of year that things started getting bad with Josh last year."

"He's not a part of you anymore," he said. "He is way in the past and you won't need to worry about him anymore. You have people to protect you."

"I know," I said. "I just can't forget what he did to me. It's so much easier said than done."

"I know," he said. "I'm just telling you that you have people who care about you and won't let that happen again."

"Yeah." I closed my eyes, taking a moment to remember where I am now, which is not where I was a year ago.

"I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing," Chris said. "I just wanted to keep you updated."

"Okay," I said. Saying our goodbyes, we hung up and I laid back on the couch, staring at the ceiling.

It wasn't long before Luke came into the apartment, taking off his jacket and saying hello when he got into the living room.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, crouching in front of me and feeling my forehead.

"Better," I said. "My headache has gotten a lot better. I was about to go in and start dinner."

"I'll make dinner tonight," he said, pushing me back on the couch. "You need to rest and feel better."

"Are you sure? It's supposed to be my night to make dinner--"

"And there have been times when you've done the same for me," he said. "Just relax, I'll take care of it."

He was out of the room before I could protest and honestly I didn't want to protest. I closed my eyes and dozed off a little before Luke came and nudged my shoulder gently, informing me that dinner was done.

I got up and sat at the table, Luke placing my plate of food in front of me. I took a bite, and didn't process what Luke was saying to me.

"Did you hear me Taylor?" he asked, and I looked up at him.

"What? No, sorry, what did you say?" I asked.

"I said Ashton told me to tell you he hoped you felt better soon," he said. "He seemed concerned that you didn't even want to stop for tea for a bit."

"I wanted to, I just wasn't feeling good at all," I said, leaning forward to eat more of my dinner. I wasn't hungry but I knew I should eat something or I'd regret it later.

"I know, and he understands. He just hopes you feel better," he said.

"I'll see him tomorrow anyways--oh I completely forgot!" I set my fork down.

"What did you forget?" Luke asked me.

"I meant to tell you on Tuesday that Michael is having another party tomorrow night and he wants you to come along. God I've been spacing everything out lately," I picked up my fork again, trying to eat again.

"Are you okay Taylor?" he asked. "You've been acting weird lately, and it's like you've been off in some other world the past few days."

"Yeah I'm fine," I said, brushing it off. "Are you coming tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I'll come along. I'm concerned about you though," he said.

"Why are you concerned?" I asked. "I have everything under control."

"You've just been acting weird lately," he said. "It's like you've been doing some other thing all week. Is something bothering you?"

"No," I lied.

"Are you sure?" he pestered. "I'm really worried, you've never acted like this before."

"I'm fine, I swear," I smiled at him for emphasis. "I'm just under a bit of stress from work. It's not a big deal."

"Don't lie to me Taylor," he sighed.

"I'm not," I said. "I swear I'll be better soon, I'm just under a bit of stress right now from work."

He looked hesitant, but reluctantly dropped the subject and asked me what it was going on at work exactly, which I used the excuse of the merging company to cover it up.

I went into my bedroom early, trying to unwind and relax by reading a book. I told myself I was going to have fun at Michael's party and I didn't have anything to worry about. Josh wasn't a part of my life anymore. I was free and I wasn't being held down by anyone.

My pillow and bed were more inviting than ever, making me pass out almost as soon as I laid down to sleep.


	24. Chapter 24

"Hey Taylor," Michael greeted me in the elevator Friday morning as usual.

"Hey Michael," I said, pressing the button for both my level and his.

"Are you and Luke coming tonight?" he asked.

"Yes, I talked to Luke last night and he said he'd come along."

"Cool." Michael smiled and the elevator opened for his floor. "I'll see you tonight."

I waved at him as he walked down the hall to his floor and I went up to my own office.

Unfortunately the work day went by slow and I was tired already but I knew I couldn't just skip out on the party. I just told Michael I would be there and I didn't need Luke or Ashton worrying about me.

I went right home from work to make a quick light dinner for Luke and I before leaving.

"Is Ashton going to be at Michael's party tonight?" Luke asked as he took a bite of his dinner.

"Yes," I said. "I wonder what's so important about this one that Michael emphasized people coming to it."

"Maybe he's having a going away party or something," he said. "And he's announcing that he's leaving to everyone tonight."

"Um, hopefully not." I rolled my eyes. Luke seemed to be in an annoying mood already.

"I'm just throwing some options out there," he shrugged.

It didn't take me long to finish my food and I left the kitchen to get ready. Luke and his annoying ass can clean up the kitchen.

I took a few minutes deciding on what to wear, eventually picking a classy looking blue dress. I spent a little extra time on my appearance since I put minimal effort into it this morning for work.

Luke of course didn't take long to get ready at all and before long we were leaving.

"I should have a car by next week," Luke informed me as we sat in the backseat of a taxi, not wanting to walk in the cold. This reminded me of another thing that slipped my mind during the week.

"Good," I said. "Hopefully we won't have to deal with all this public transportation shit anymore."

It didn't take too long to get to Michael's house since he didn't live too far from us. As soon as we walked up to the door we were greeted by a smiling Julie in a cute purple dress.

"Taylor! Luke! Its so nice to see you guys again," Julie hugged both of us, letting us inside and shutting the door to keep the cold out.

"Michael is in the kitchen, he's so glad you guys were able to make it tonight," Julie said, leading us into the kitchen where a few other guests were standing and talking.

"Hey, you guys made it!" Michael smiled at us as he wrapped his arm around Julie's waist and waved a hello to us. He leaned in and kissed Julie's head affectionately.

"I told you we'd be here," I smiled, Julie walking in with a couple glasses for Luke and I.

"Would you guys like some wine?" she asked.

"Oh, no thank you. I don't drink wine," I smiled, politely refusing.

"Oh okay, we have some champagne if you'd like," she offered.

"I think I'll just stick with water for now," I smiled. "But thank you."

"Any for you Luke?"

"No thanks, I don't think I'm gonna drink tonight," he blushed.

Michael laughed, and everyone joined in, probably all simultaneously remembering Luke's drunken state the last time.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah I know. I was really drunk last time and no one is ever going to forget it."

I pat Luke on his back as everyone agreed while he took the glass of water Julie was handing to him with a sympathetic smile.

"Come on guys, don't pick on him too much." She handed me a glass of water as well and I thanked her graciously and took a sip. I made my way out of the kitchen and into the living room, stopping to talk to Niall, who had finally brought Megan along with him.

"Taylor, this is Megan, my girlfriend and Megan this is Taylor. She works in editing with me," he introduced us.

"It's so nice to meet you," I smiled as she pulled me in for a hug. "I've heard so many wonderful things about you from Niall."

"I'm sure he's just exaggerating," she laughed, pushing her curly red hair off her shoulder.

"I am not, and you know it," Niall said, wrapping his arm around her waist again.

She rolled her eyes playfully and put her arm around his shoulder. She was a few inches taller than me, just a couple inches shorter than Niall.

I talked to Niall and Megan for a while, coming to the knowledge that Megan was actually one of the secretaries and had heard about me before since she worked with all the other single secretaries who had nothing better to do than gossip and talk about their exes and how good Mr. Styles' ass looked in his pants. I loved the way Niall watched her talk, smiling slightly when her green eyes lit up and the way they teased each other playfully. I could tell they were really happy together just by the way they acted. Niall seemed to mature just slightly being around her, she must bring the best out of him.

Eventually I got dragged away by Luke, who wanted to show me something "hilarious" which turned out to just be a photo album of Michael when he was younger that Julie was showing all her girlfriends while Michael stood nearby turning beat red at the pictures of him naked in a bathtub.

I made my way back into living room to find someone to talk to, and then I spotted Ashton standing in a corner, on his phone and occasionally glancing up to make sure no one was attempting to come talk to him. I rolled my eyes and made my way over.

"What do you think you're doing Ashton Irwin?" I asked, startling him as he looked up and dropped his phone. Luckily it was just carpet in the living room.

"Doing something suspicious?" I asked, smirking as he bent down to pick his phone up and locked the screen, sliding it into his pocket.

"No, I'm just avoiding other party guests," he explained. "You see, I'm quite introverted."

"I can tell."

He sighed, looking around at everyone in the room. "I hate starting conversations with people. It took me like a month to finally try with you. And you thought I was being a total asshole when I did."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that you're not the best at making good first impressions," I teased, though I knew it was me and my trust issues that was partially to blame for it too.

"I know what I'd rather be doing right now than standing around avoiding socializing with people," he said.

"And what's that?" I asked.

"Kissing you in some empty room around here."

I laughed, though I felt a fire ignite in my chest when I thought about it. It did sound quite nice right now.

Ashton glanced around again, then took my arm and pulled me down the hallway with him.

"Ashton!" his hand clasped over my mouth and he opened a door and pushed me into it, shutting the door behind him. I couldn't see anything except for the light coming through the bottom of the door.

"You thought I was joking didn't you?" his lips brushed mine, backing me into whatever was behind me. My hand moved behind me blindly to touch what felt like cans sitting in boxes stacked on shelves.

"What even is this room?" I asked quietly, turning to feel around better, but Ashton's hand touched my face gently, taking me by the chin and turning me back to face him.

"Don't worry about it," he said in a low voice in my ear before he leaned back in and kissed me, and I suddenly forgot my concern about what was behind me. I wrapped my arm around his neck, pulling him down closer to me and he pulled me by the waist closer to him. I twisted my fingers around the bottom of his hair at the back of his neck while he rested one hand on my hip, the other around my back.

"I'm gonna ruin your lipstick," Ashton said, pulling away slightly.

"I don't care." I grabbed him by his tie and pulled him back down to me, kissing him again and he smirked against my lips, sliding one hand down my thigh and lifting me onto the shelf behind me, making me almost at eye level with him.

I pulled him even closer, where he stood between my legs and rested one of his large, warm hands on my thigh and the other on the small of my back. One arm draped around his neck while my other rested on his chest, gripping the fabric of his shirt in my small fist.

He moved his kisses from my mouth slowly down my neck, where he pushed my hair off my shoulder and kissed right on a sensitive spot next to my collar bone. I squirmed a little from his warm lips and he moved slowly up to my ear, his warm breath going down my back.

"You like that huh?" His voice was low and raspy, so quiet no one would be able to hear it but loud right in my ear. I nodded, making him kiss my cheek and kiss his way back down to that spot, building anticipation as he took it between his teeth and slowly let it slide out of his mouth.

He moved back to my mouth, kissing me again as he slid his hand up the outside of my bare thigh, stopping at my hip and dragging his fingernails down to my knees, making my heart race. I pulled away for air, accidentally letting a quiet moan slip as his fingertips grazed across the sensitive spot at the top of my thighs.

"You're so responsive to my touch," he whispered, his fingers brushing a few loose strands of hair from my face as he leaned in and kissed me again, gently this time. He pressed his palm against my flush cheek, his fingers tangling in the hair just behind my ear. He pulled away but kept his hand where it was and I let myself lean into his hand.

"We should go back out there before someone notices we're missing," I said quietly.

"No one is missing us, trust me." Ashton leaned in and kissed me again, a couple slow passionate kisses and finally pulled away again. He helped me down off the shelf and opened the door, poking his head out as I smoothed out my dress.

"I'm going to use the bathroom for a couple minutes so it doesn't look suspicious," I said, stepping out in the hallway as Ashton closed the door silently behind him.

"You're so paranoid," he smiled, looking down at me. I reached up and wiped a little of my lipstick from his top lip that had smeared onto it.

"Go before they notice," I said, turning him around and pushing him down the hallway as I walked the opposite direction to enter the bathroom.

As soon as I looked in the mirror, I gasped, grateful that I'd had the sense to come in here before going out again. My hair was tangled slightly--which I fixed by running my fingers through a few times--my cheeks were flushed and my lipstick had smeared off my lips slightly. It would have been so obvious if I'd gone out there looking like that.

I wiped my lipstick off completely, taking it from my purse and reapplying it. My cheeks were slowly turning back to their normal color and I decided it would be fine to go back out.

I walked into the living room, no one seeming to notice my sudden reappearance. I spotted Ashton talking to Luke, and I was about to join them but I was stopped by Michael stepping into the living room with Julie close by.

"Everyone, could I please have your attention?" Michael called out over the chatter and everyone slowly grew silent, all eyes on Michael.

"Man, I have never been good at things like this... Uh, I guess I am just happy that you are all here," he said, stuttering. "There's something I've been planning to do for a little while now and I wanted everyone to see it."

I stepped closer to get a better look from where I was standing behind a bunch of tall people. Michael turned to Julie and took her hand, pulling her closer to him and she looked confused.

"Julie, I am so lucky to have you," he said. "I never thought I would have found someone to put up with so much of my obnoxious bullshit but then you came along and changed all that."

I knew where this was going already. I locked eyes with Niall and he mouthed "I told you!"

I rolled my eyes, smiling and turned back to look at Michael and Julie.

"I don't know where I'm going with all this, you know I'm not good at this romantic thing," he laughed nervously. Julie had tears in her eyes.

"I mean, Julie I love that you're my girlfriend," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a little box, getting down on one knee. Julie covered her mouth.

"But I would be the happiest man alive if I could make you my wife. Will you marry me?" he held the ring up to Julie, and a couple tears slipped from her eyes and she nodded, saying "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Everyone erupted into applause and hoots and hollers of joy as Michael stood up and kissed Julie, hugging her and spinning her in his arms. He slid the ring onto her finger and kissed her again, everyone still cheering.

It all eventually died down and a bunch of girls gathered around Julie to admire the ring and congratulate her and Michael both.

"What did I tell you?!" Niall nudged my arm. "I totally called that!"

"Yes, you did," I laughed, Megan also laughing at Niall's triumph.

"Have you guys seen Luke? Its getting late and we should probably get going soon," I said.

"I think he was in the kitchen with Ashton a couple minutes ago," Niall said.

"Okay thanks," I said my goodbyes to Megan and Niall and headed into the kitchen where Luke and Ashton were leaned in watching something over Luke's phone.

"Luke, are you ready to go?" I asked. "It's getting late, and I don't wanna be out all night looking for a taxi."

"I can give you guys a ride home," Ashton said. "It's on the way and I would rather you guys not wait in the cold for a taxi."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"It's not a problem at all," he said. "I was planning on leaving soon anyways."

"Okay," I said. The three of us walked to the door and got our jackets, saying goodbye to Michael and Julie and congratulating them before heading out.

The ride back home was short, with Luke sitting in the back third wheeling and making comments about Ashton's hand resting on my thigh, telling Ashton we needed to stop by the store to buy some condoms. Ashton just laughed them off but I made a mental note to kill Luke when we got home.

Ashton took the chance while Luke was getting out of the car to give me a quick kiss goodbye and promised to see me on Tuesday.

I walked up to our apartment with Luke and he was smirking the entire time and I questioned him about it when we got inside.

"Oh nothing," he shrugged. "You have such a little school girl crush on Ashton."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I crossed my arms after I took off my jacket and shoes.

"Oh nothing, you just act like he's the senior on the football team and you're the nerdy little freshman girl who wants to sneak into a dark empty classroom with him."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't play innocent," he smirked. "I know you two snuck off to make out somewhere. I noticed you guys were missing and I saw that same shade of lipstick you were wearing tonight on his lips and I don't think he was just borrowing it."

I rolled my eyes, though I felt my cheeks heat. How did Luke figure these things out so easily?

"That's okay, I won't tell anyone," he winked, walking down the hall to his bedroom. I rolled my eyes and walked into my own to get ready for bed.


	25. Chapter 25

Staring out the window in my office, I twirled my hair around my finger and looked at the few grey clouds overhead. I sighed, another day of inability to focus on what I was supposed to be working on.

I looked back down at the pages in front of me, which were barely touched. It was already 11 in the morning and I'd only gotten through 2 more pages.

I knew it shouldn't have been bothering me, but I was a little worried about my mom and Chris. I thought maybe if I could just go back to Albany to see that it's the same as when I left it, but I knew that I wasn't allowed to do that. There was too much at risk for me to even consider it.

I tapped my pen against the desk a couple times before deciding to give the story another try. It was an interesting story, it just didn't have very many errors. I liked the stories with more errors better. They made me think, gave me more of a challenge and it was easier to focus and get into those ones. Lately I'd gotten a lot of decent stories so it was harder to get into them and edit.

Practically dragging myself through the day, I managed to get through all but the last few pages of the story. Deciding to call it a day, I put it away and got ready to leave.

I changed into jeans before I left since it was below freezing outside and walked out, wrapping myself tight from the cold and slight breeze.

I stepped into Starbucks feeling a slight dread. I didn't feel it yesterday when I came in for some tea but I was hoping that since it was Tuesday Ashton would have something to offer to brighten my day a little.

"Taylor Parks," Ashton smiled when I approached him, still bundled in my jacket. He helped me out of it, sitting with me close to him on the couch to warm me.

"Do you want some tea or cider or anything?" he asked. I shook my head.

"I just want to sit down and relax," I said.

"Long day at work?"

I rolled my eyes. "You have no idea. I couldn't focus for anything. It was long and I was antsy the entire day and honestly I just came to Starbucks today so I could see you. I wanted to just go home and crash or something."

"Well I'm glad you stopped by to see me," he said. "I have something important."

"And what's that?" I asked, and Ashton pulled away from me a little and I almost whined at the loss of body warmth.

I sat up a little more to watch him reach on the other side of the couch and pull out a few roses. I immediately felt my cheeks heat as I smiled at him.

"Those are for me?" I asked as he handed me them, offering me a smile too.

"Yes," he said. "I just want one thing in exchange."

"What's that?"

"I just thought maybe we should make it official. I want you to be my girlfriend, Taylor Parks."

I smiled up at him, pulling him closer to me again as I set down the roses. "Yes! Of course!"

Ashton leaned down and kissed my lips gently, just a quick sweet one and sat back on the couch with me.

"I've felt like a little bit of a dick because we keep kissing and doing all these couple-y things and I hadn't even asked you to be my girlfriend yet," he said. "And I was kinda nervous that you would say no and storm out and accuse me of trying to intrude on your life again."

I laughed, though I felt a little embarrassment. "I'm so sorry Ashton. You shouldn't have to be afraid of girls doing that to you."

"Not girls," he smirked. "One girl in particular."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't push it, I can take the roses, leave and never talk to you again."

Ashton laughed too, and I laid my head against his shoulder.

Before long Luke came up to me with a big smile on his face.

"Luke, be nice to her because she hasn't been having the greatest day," Ashton said, nudging me to sit up as he helped me put jacket on.

"Oh I've got a great surprise for her," Luke said as I stood from the couch and Ashton handed me my purse and roses.

"Oh boy."

"No Taylor, you'll really like this one," he said, taking my arm and pulling me toward the door.

"Bye Ashton," I laughed as Luke pulled me away.

"I'll call you tomorrow," Ashton smiled and let Luke drag me outside.

Luke pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and I noticed they weren't the apartment keys.

"You got a car?!" I watched as Luke took the button and a car in front of us flashed it's headlights.

Luke smiled and I threw my arms around him, and then ran to the car and opened the passenger side door, getting in and sitting in the seat, admiring it.

Luke got in the drivers side and sat down, turning on the engine and I sighed as he turned the heater on, pulling out of his parking spot and heading towards our apartment.

"Do you know how much easier this is going to make everything?" I said, relieved to finally be riding in a regular car again besides Ashton driving me around. "You'll be able to come with me grocery shopping and we can do it all at once instead of in rounds."

"So what's with the roses?" Luke asked, ignoring my comment.

"They're from Ashton," I said.

"Just because?" he asked.

"He asked me to be his girlfriend."

"What did you say?"

"I said yes, of course. What else would I say?" I asked.

Luke smirked, pulling into our apartment parking lot.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking about how a month ago you probably would have smacked him and told him to get lost. It's crazy how much can change over a little span of time."

-

I sat in our apartment Friday night, watching movies on Netflix. Luke was out with Calum doing something and I was bored out of my mind with these dumb shows.

I pulled my phone out and called Ashton.

"Hey Taylor Parks," Ashton said as he answered the phone.

"Hello Ashton Irwin," I said, smiling as I laid back on the couch. "Are you busy at the moment?"

"Not really, I was just watching some dumb show on TV," he said.

"I was just doing the same," I said. "I was thinking that it would be more fun if I had another human being to watch them with me."

"Luke isn't there?" he asked.

"Nah he's out with Calum," I said. "Can you come over?"

"Sure, I'll be there in 10 minutes," he said.

"Okay, I'll see you soon." I hung up and turned on the lights, feeling groggy from being in one place in the dark for so long.

Before I knew it there was a knock on the door and I opened it up to see a smiling Ashton in sweats.

"I don't think I've ever seen you in sweats," I laughed as he stepped inside and leaned down to kiss me.

"I don't think I've ever seen you in little polar bear shorts," he teased as I pulled him into the living room and he sat on the couch.

"Are you hungry? I can make popcorn," I said.

"I'm not big on popcorn," he said.

"I'm not either," I said. "We get it for Luke."

"So what have you been watching on Netflix here?" he asked, gesturing to the TV.

"Oh I don't know, it's some dumb chick flick. It's predictable, I already know how it ends," I said. "I don't want to watch movies."

"Then what do you want to do?" he asked.

"I'll be right back," I smiled, and Ashton looked confused. I kissed him on the cheek before I walked out of the room and into my bedroom.

"Nail polish?"

"I want to paint your toenails," I said, grabbing his foot and pulling his sock off.

"Ew! Why?" he laughed, trying to pull his foot away but I had already pulled his sock off.

"Because it'll be funny!" I said. He eventually stopped fighting it and let me hold his foot. I opened the neon pink nail polish that I never used because it was so awful.

"No! Pick another color!" he pulled his foot away and I laughed before I set it down and picked up the dark purple instead.

"Have you ever had your toenails painted before?" I asked as I started the first coat and he watched me from the couch.

"I can't say that I have," he said.

"I think this color looks fantastic with your skin tone."

"Thanks?"

I pulled the sock off of his other foot and began painting his toenails.

"The good thing about this nail polish is that it only takes one coat," I said. I couldn't believe he was being so tolerant of this.

"Well I'm glad because then it won't take very long," he said.

I finished up the last coat, then admired his toenails, looking at his reaction.

"How long will this stay on?" he asked.

I shrugged. "No one will see it anyways."

He started laughing as I put the nail polish back into the box and stood up, climbing onto the couch next to Ashton.

"I can't believe you let me do that," I said, laughing at his toenails. It looked so odd seeing his man toes painted.

"I can't believe I did either," he said, pulling me closer to him. "Come here, I want to cuddle."

I climbed onto his lap and ran my fingers through his hair, watching him close his eyes as I twirled my fingers around his soft curls.

"Your hair is so soft," I said. "I have never met a guy with hair as soft as yours. Do you condition it?"

"I use this moisturizing shampoo," he shrugged. "It's like a two-in-one I guess?"

"Do you have a nice shower?" I asked. Why was I all of a sudden thinking about Ashton showering?

He opened his eyes and looked at me. I felt my cheeks flush.

"Yeah it's a decent shower," he said. "I don't think anyone has ever asked me that question."

"Let's play 20 Questions," I smiled, pulling my hands away from his hair and letting them rest on his chest.

"Alright, you go first," he said.

"No I already did, I asked you if you had a nice shower," I said.

"Okay," he chuckled. "Where did you go to college?"

"I did full time running start in high school at the local community college and got my 2 year degree when I graduated and then I transferred to the university college nearby and got an internship at a publishing agency in Albany while I was taking classes there," I explained. "I had one quarter left before I graduated when I moved here and I finished off at the University of Washington."

"Oh wow you were all over the place," he said. "You already know I started and finished at the University of Washington."

"Yes, you told me at Dairy Queen after our first date," I smiled.

"You remembered!" he smiled back.

"I have excellent memory," I tapped my temple. "Okay now my turn. What did you think when you first saw me?"

"Well, I think at first I was kinda like 'oh wow she's really pretty' and then I thought about talking to you, and then thought about not and debated it for about a month," he said. "Plus you always looked kinda lonely sitting there by yourself all the time."

"I just hate people."

"Me too."

"I'm bored with this game actually," I said. "Let's make out."

I leaned in and kissed Ashton but he pulled away.

"I thought we were going to watch a movie," he said.

"I don't want to watch a movie," I whined. "I just want to kiss you."

I leaned in again but Ashton pulled away again.

"I don't know if this is a good idea," Ashton said.

"Why not?" I asked. "It's just kissing."

"Yeah but we are alone in your apartment," he said. "I don't know, I just feel weird about this. I don't want it to go too far yet. I mean we've just been together for a few days now officially."

I climbed off of Ashton's lap and crossed my arms to pout. "But we made out at your house and in Michael's storage closet."

"Taylor." Ashton sighed. "I just don't feel right about this. Can we just cuddle and watch a movie? I want to kiss you, believe me, I just don't want to push it."

"Okay, you're right." I nodded. "I'm probably just horny because I'm probably going to get my period soon."

"Nice to know," he chuckled. I curled up into his side and he wrapped his arm around me as I reached for the remote. "I'll just be sure to buy you chocolates whenever it happens."

"Mm," I hummed, thinking of chocolate. "We have chocolate ice cream. I'm gonna go get us some so we can watch this and get fat together."

"Okay." I handed him the remote and kissed his forehead before heading into the kitchen.


	26. Chapter 26

Thursday, March 16 I walked into Starbucks and ignored Ashton sitting on his phone scrolling through something and walked right up to the counter where Luke was standing, seeming to watch something.

"What are you looking at?" I asked him as he began putting my order into the register.

"Nothing." Luke turned away and looked back at me. "Just zoning out."

"You never 'just zone out,'" I said. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I was just thinking about tomorrow," he shrugged. I handed him a couple dollars and he handed me my change back and began making my drink.

"What's tomorrow?" I asked.

"Um..." Luke stopped and looked at me from behind the counter. "Your birthday?"

"Oh," I stopped from putting the change back into my wallet. "Oh wow it is."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Who forgets their own birthday?"

"I've just had a lot on my mind lately." I thought about what happened my last birthday. I didn't want to remember that.

"How old are you going to be?" Luke asked. "42?"

"24." I took my drink from him and he smiled at me.

"You know I'm just teasing you. Go love on Ashton, he looks far too enthusiastic right now."

I looked over and Ashton seemed to be zoning out as well. I looked back at Luke, who winked at me before walking away and I headed over to Ashton.

He looked up at me and smiled. "Hey Taylor Parks. Guess who is finally joining the world of 24 year olds tomorrow?"

"Don't remind me," I sat down with him and let him take my drink and take a sip of it before handing it back to me.

"You're not big on birthdays?" he asked.

"Not really. Too many bad birthday parties," I said.

"What, are you the Grinch when it comes to Christmas too?" he teased.

"Not as much, but yeah I'm not big on Christmas either," I said. "A lot of bad experiences have ruined a lot of things for me."

"Well I'm going to make them better," he said. "And trust me, I'm going to try to make this your best birthday yet."

I smiled and leaned into him, grateful for his ambition. It was nice to have a little bit of that. It'd only been 2 and a half weeks since we'd gotten together so we were still in our honeymoon phase but that didn't mean I didn't appreciate what he did for me.

"I believe you," I said.

-

"Happy birthday, Taylor!" Michael yelled as I stepped off the elevator Friday morning and Niall blew into a kazoo while Megan threw confetti on me, covering me in copious amounts of glitter.

I laughed as they pulled me into a group hug and let me go to my office after thanking them and attempting to brush off some of the glitter and confetti.

When I walked into my office I was startled by the fact that my desk wasn't cleared and organized like it usually was. It had a few envelopes with birthday cards from coworkers and balloons tied to weights sitting on my desk. Inside the cards were a couple gift cards to multiple places.

A bouquet of flowers sat on the end, and I looked at the note. Of course they were from Ashton, informing me that he had dinner plans for tonight at 6.

I was surprisingly motivated for the day. My birthday was so far off to a good start and I prayed it wouldn't go down the drain like it usually did and stayed optimistic for the day.

I received a quick phone call from Liam and Sophia, where they sang Happy Birthday to me and another brief call from Chris to wish me a happy birthday. All of them were busy and needed to get back to what they were doing but it felt nice to know I was in their thoughts.

Luke texted me telling me he had gotten off early and to come right home after I got off, which I had intentions of doing anyways. I caught the bus to my apartment and although Luke's car was in the parking lot, he wasn't immediately in the living room like he normally was.

"Luke?" I called through our small apartment and he emerged from the hallway and smiled at me.

"Happy birthday Tay!" he came and wrapped his arms around me in a warm satisfying Luke hug and let me go.

"Ashton made dinner plans for 6 so I need to go get ready," I said, walking to my bedroom.

I opened the door and walked inside, stopping in my tracks and practically screaming.

"KITTY!" I ran over to my bed and scooped up the orange ball of fur playing with a feathery toy sitting on it.

It looked up at me with green eyes and mewed softly, and I squealed at the high pitched noise.

"Luke! Oh my god, this is the best birthday present ever!" I turned around and he was standing in the doorway smiling at me. I set the kitten back down on my bed it and ran and chased the toy again, bouncing on its little paws.

"Isn't she precious?" Luke said as I pet her, making her purr quietly.

"Does she have a name?" I asked.

"Not yet," Luke said. "You can name her."

"I want to name her Chloe," I said. "Oh my god, I love cats so much."

"She'll be here when you get home," Luke said. "You have dinner plans with Ashton remember?"

"Yes, you're right," I said. "I want to make sure I look nice for that tonight."

I let Luke take care of Chloe, informing me that he was going to keep her litter box in the bathroom while I decided to keep the skirt and shirt I was already wearing and went in to touch up my hair and makeup.

I heard a knock on the door as I was putting my earrings back in and came out to open the door and see Ashton standing.

"Happy birthday Taylor Parks," he smiled, leaning down to kiss me.

"I'm almost ready, I just need to put my shoes on," I said and sat down to pull on my heels and wrapped my jacket around myself.

"We're heading out," I said to Luke as he walked in from the kitchen smiling.

"I know. Be safe!" He threw something at me that hit me in the face and ran down to the hallway to hide.

I picked up the package from the ground and realized it was a condom. I rolled my eyes.

Ashton bursted out laughing and Luke stuck his head around the corner to look at my reaction.

"Hey Luke, we really appreciate your concern but I think you're the one who's going to need them. Have fun with Calum!" Ashton threw the condoms back at Luke and grabbed my arm, pulling me out of the apartment door and laughing as we hurried to the elevator.

"I have to say, that was a pretty good comeback," I said when we were on the road.

"Well I bet he won't tease us about that anymore now," he laughed. "He is definitely something else."

"He's a pain in the ass is what he is!" I said. "He is so annoying, oh my god."

"He can't be that bad," Ashton said.

"Yeah, he's decent because he got me a kitten for my birthday. That's the only reason I'm forgiving him for that."

Ashton chuckled and reached his hand over and laid it gently on my thigh.

"Olive Garden?" I smiled at him when he pulled into the parking lot and parked the car.

"It's not our first date anymore, I think I've earned the right to take you to your favorite restaurant by now," he smiled back, leaning in to kiss me softly on the lips.

"Let's go inside, I have reservations I don't want us to miss," Ashton said, and we both stepped out of his car, his hand slipping into mine as we walked to the entrance.

Once we'd been seated with menus I sat and waited for a few breadsticks while he flipped through the menu.

"Aren't you going to pick what you want?" Ashton asked.

"Oh no, I always order their Fettuccine Alfredo," I said. "It's my favorite."

Ashton set his menu down after a minute or two.

"So how is your birthday going so far?" he asked when the waiter came and got our orders.

"It's going surprisingly well," I said. "I'm just hoping nothing will ruin it."

"I'm not gonna let anything ruin it," he said. "This is your birthday and you deserve to enjoy it."

"I think as long as I'm with you it'll go just fine," I smiled.

"Only 'just fine'? I think I'm offended," Ashton smirked.

"Don't flatter yourself," I teased. "I could be guaranteed to have a good birthday if I stayed home and played with Chloe. Be honored that I am putting faith in you."

Ashton leaned back against his chair. "Little sassy pants today aren't we?"

"It's my birthday, I'm the queen today," I said, sipping my drink.

"Am I the king?" he asked.

"No, you're a peasant today," I said. "Everyone but me is a peasant."

"You can pay for your own dinner then!" he teased. "Since I'm a peasant I'm too broke to afford Olive Garden."

"Guess you better dig into your life savings then." Ashton bursted out laughing as I crossed my arms, pleased with my endless comebacks tonight.

The food was fantastic considering I hadn't had Olive Garden in ages and when we went to leave, Ashton took a turn opposite of the way to my apartment.

"This is part of the dinner plans," Ashton assured me.

We pulled into the driveway of his house and I decided not to question anything and followed him up to the front door.

"Go ahead," he stepped aside and I opened the door and turned on the lights.

"Happy birthday!" multiple people yelled, startling me and I stepped backwards and tripped, Ashton catching me and laughing.

Niall, Megan, Michael, Julie, Luke, Calum and Mr. Styles were all standing in the dining room with balloons and confetti.

"Oh my goodness, wow thank you guys," I said as I walked into the living room where they each came and hugged me, even my boss.

"How did you guys put this all together?" I asked.

"Don't worry about it," Luke said. "You have gifts to open and cake to eat."

Ashton ushered me to the love seat where he sat next to me and Megan placed a small gift bag in my lap.

"It's from both of us," she smiled as she sat down next to Niall.

I opened the wrapping to find a couple small bottles of scented lotion and perfume and I smiled at them.

"You guys," I said. "You must know how much I love nice smelling things."

"I know most girls enjoy lotion and perfume," Megan said.

Michael tossed a small gift onto my lap next. Luke walked in with a bottle of champagne and began pouring small glasses for everyone.

My gifts consisted of gift cards, candles and a couple more lotion bottles from everyone. I sipped at the champagne Luke poured me and Ashton sipped at his own as well, keeping an arm around me most of the time.

"I think it's time," Luke said and nodded to Julie, who jumped up from her spot next to Michael and followed Luke into the kitchen.

Before I could question anything, Mr. Styles approached me.

"Did you hear from Liam and Sophia today?" he asked, sitting on the end of the couch next to the love seat. Seeing him in jeans was odd considering I always saw him at work in his business suits.

"Yeah, they called me and sang to me over the phone this morning," I smiled remembering the goofy couple. "I miss them a lot."

"Liam misses having you working with him," he said. "But I told him too bad because you're a hard worker and I don't have many of those in our branch."

"I do feel accomplished getting something done," I said. "And I enjoy what I do."

"Well you're definitely a keeper in our company," he said. "Anyway, enough work talk. Happy birthday." He smiled and stood from the couch.

"Thank you, Mr. Styles," I said. He turned around and looked at me.

"I think you've been working with me long enough now," he said. "Please stop calling me Mr. Styles. I am Harry to you from now on."

"Okay," I laughed and he pat my shoulder before walking to the kitchen.

"Look at you," Ashton said. "Getting on a first name basis with your boss."

"I think it's going to take a while to get used to calling him that," I said.

Before Ashton could say anything back, the lights suddenly went down and Luke walked into the living room carrying a candle lit cake.

Niall stood up and counted to conduct everyone in singing Happy Birthday and I was grateful the lights were down because I could feel my cheeks turning brighter red than Megan's hair. I'd had enough attention all on me for one day.

The cake was beautiful, with chocolate frosting and little purple and pink flowers swirled around "Happy Birthday Taylor" in curly cursive black icing.

I blew out the candles and Luke carried the cake back into the kitchen to cut it while the lights went back on.

"This is crazy," I said. "Everyone went to so much effort just for this."

"Julie made the cake!" Michael said. "She's such a great baker."

Julie blushed as she smiled over at us from the dining room where she was helping Luke cut the cake. "He's exaggerating, I am just an average baker."

"She's just being modest," he whispered.

A piece of cake was handed to me and I took a bite. It was vanilla cake with chocolate frosting, my absolute favorite. Luke must have told her it was my favorite.

The evening went on and I drank a little more, getting slightly tipsy and gradually everyone left, wishing me a happy birthday before going.

When it was just Ashton and Luke left, just after Mr. Sty--Harry left, I helped clean up a little in the kitchen, though I was giggly and kept dropping the forks I was collecting.

"Taylor, Ashton and I can clean this up," Luke said. "Why don't you sit and wait on the couch?"

"Okay," I laughed, setting the forks in the sink and walking to the couch, collapsing on it and sighing.

A few minutes later, Ashton joined me. "Luke is taking care of the last of the dishes."

"Mm." I pulled him onto the couch with me and laid on his chest, closing my eyes and dozing off a little.

"Should I take her home?" I heard Luke's voice. "I don't want to wake her."

"She's fine," Ashton said. "You can go home if you want, I'll take care of her."

"Okay," Luke said. "If you try anything, I'll kill you."

"Why would I?" Ashton chuckled. "I'd wait an eternity for her. She's worth the wait."

That was the last thing I remembered hearing before I dozed off completely in Ashton's arms. He was right; it was definitely my best birthday yet.


	27. Chapter 27

I opened my eyes to an unfamiliar area and looked around. I was in a bed and there was a tv mounted on the wall in front of me, and a dresser and walk in closet and bathroom. I was still in my skirt and shirt from the day before, which were awfully wrinkled and I realized I was in Ashton's room.

Ashton was nowhere around, so I figured he probably didn't sleep in here with me. I sat up and climbed out of bed, walking into the bathroom. I cringed at the makeup on my face leftover from the night before and attempted to wash most of it off before helping myself to mouthwash sitting on the counter as well.

I opened the drawers to the dresser, pulling out a t-shirt. The sweats didn't have a drawstring so I grabbed a pair of his boxers instead. I'm his girlfriend and I just spent the night, I'm entitled to wear these.

I changed and pulled my hair off my face and walked out of his bedroom and into the kitchen where Ashton was singing along to the radio, moving his hips a little while he was cooking breakfast.

He turned and smiled at me, looking at my attire and laughing. "Good morning sunshine. How'd you sleep?"

"Decently," I said. I walked over to him and hugged him from behind while he turned off the burner.

"I made breakfast, there's bacon, eggs and hash browns," he said. He turned around to me and kept his arm around my back while he handed me a plate and guided me to the table to sit.

"I see you helped yourself to my underwear," he said as he sat down at the table with me.

"Yes, and I also used some of your mouthwash too," I said. "I'm pretty sure I've earned that privilege as your girlfriend."

"You have," he said. "I think you look kind of cute with your hair in a nest like that."

"Excuse me?" I looked at him in disgust. "What is cute about this? It looks like a bird tried to make a home on my head."

"You're cute," he said, smiling at me and taking a bite while I rolled my eyes and started eating as well.

"Was your birthday alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, it was actually good for once," I said. "Everyone must have put so much effort in to make that party last night."

Ashton shrugged. "It wasn't that hard. Everyone was happy to be a part."

When we finished breakfast, I gathered my clothes and gifts and Ashton drove me back to my apartment. I thanked him for everything the night before and kissed him goodbye.

I stepped inside the apartment to find Chloe was chasing around a cat toy in the living room. As tempted as I was to go and play with her I knew I needed to go take a shower.

I found Luke in the bathroom finishing up the last of the cleaning.

"Hey Taylor," he said, glancing at me and then stopping and looking again. "Um... Why are you wearing his clothes?"

"Because I'm his girlfriend I'm entitled to," I said. "I was coming in here to take a shower."

"Did you guys do the deed?" Luke whispered and I pushed him out of the bathroom.

"No!" I said. "I passed out last night before you left, remember?"

"Have you ever heard of morning sex?" Luke smirked at me. "It's a lot of fun, you should try it sometime."

I rolled my eyes and shut the door, hearing him laugh as he walked down the hallway and I started the shower water.

When I got out of the shower, Luke was sitting on the couch playing a video game. I picked up Chloe and sat with him, watching as he paused the game.

"Have you already paid the pet deposit for the apartment now that we have a kitty?" I asked, stroking her along the back as he leaned up into my hand and started purring.

"Not yet," he said. "I did talk to the owner though, and he just said we can pay it the next time we pay rent."

"I need to vacuum these floors," I said, but Luke stopped me from getting up.

"Relax Taylor," he said. "I already did."

"The kitchen needs to be mopped too," I said.

"Already did," he said. "I cleaned the entire house, I even washed your sheets and vacuumed your floor."

"Wow," I said. "What made you want to do that?"

"I knew you'd come home and freak out and start cleaning and I just want you to relax this weekend," he said.

"Well that was thoughtful of you," I said. "But now what am I going to do all day?"

"Well I'm taking you to dinner tonight as your last birthday gift," he said. "And it's almost afternoon anyways, I'm sure you can figure out something to do before then."

I ended up spending the afternoon playing with Chloe, which Luke joined in on and got her more used to her new home.

Luke and I left to get something to eat around 6 and decided to just go to Red Robin.

"I love the burgers here," Luke said when we were sat at a table. "I think they're the best burgers I've ever had."

"Well they're definitely better than McDonald's," I said. "I don't know about them being the best I've ever had though."

"Well I know they are for me," Luke said. "This might be more of a gift for myself than it is for you."

"You've got a few months still, Luke," I said. "Your birthday isn't until July."

"I can still treat myself every now and then can't I?" he remarked, our drinks arriving in front of us.

"Yeah but it was my birthday!" I said, Luke smirking at me.

"Oh yeah and you're the queen on your birthday and everyone else has to bow down," he said.

"Exactly," I pushed my hair off my shoulder.

"But it's not your birthday anymore," he argued.

"You said this was a birthday present to me!" I laughed at how annoying he was being.

"Only because I'm telling them it's your birthday so we can split the free sundae you get," he said.

"Thanks."

The entire evening Luke was just as annoying and I wanted to rip his head off on multiple occasions, especially when he reached over with his spoon and dug into my ice cream and shoved it in his mouth before I could stop him.

Sunday was spent with Luke and Chloe, who I was quickly falling in love with. Her big green eyes and little paws and fluffy tail and high pitched little mews were almost too much cuteness for me to handle.

I went to bed Sunday night feeling better than I had been before. Things were seeming to look up and I was relieved for it. I wasn't worried for once about getting any calls from Chris or my mom or anyone. I felt relaxed and maybe it was risky to do that but I sure didn't regret it.

I slept like a baby and knew I was going to wake up feeling ready to take on the world.


	28. Chapter 28

"So Calum decided to spontaneously ask if you and I wanted to join him to go out tonight with his new date," Luke said to me Friday morning as we were eating breakfast.

"Aw, I'm sorry to hear that," I said as Luke sat down with his muffin at the table.

"Why?" He looked confused. "I thought it was nice of him to invite us along."

"Oh it is," I agreed. "I'm guessing this means you guys broke up."

He rolled his eyes. "Very funny."

I smiled at him across the table. "Yeah, that'll be fun. Where are we going?"

"I don't know, there's some party he was talking about," he said.

"I am not going to some lame ass college party." I rolled my eyes. "I am 24 years old, Luke."

"It's not a 'lame ass college party,' Taylor," Luke replied. "I'm pretty sure it's at a club or something."

"Well I don't want to have to take of you getting piss drunk," I said.

"Come on, Taylor," he said. "You've just been spending time with Ashton a whole bunch lately and we miss you. It'll be fun."

I sighed, hesitating for a moment. He was right; ever since Ashton and I made things official I've been spending most of my time with him. I needed to go out with some friends.

"Fine," I gave in. "As long as you don't get so drunk you can't walk again."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

-

When I got home from work with Luke, I made us some dinner before changing into a dress to wear to go out and Luke and I went down to his car to meet with Calum and his mysterious date.

I walked in with Luke and saw a bunch of girls grinding on each other and guys, or basically anything that was nearby. The room was a little smoky and dark with black lights and loud music. I literally rolled my eyes.

"That's enough polyester to polyester friction to start a fire," I cringed as I held onto Luke's arm and walked through the crowd of people to meet Calum and a little blonde girl at a table. And by little I mean petite; skinny legs, skinny arms and a small waist.

"Hey Luke! You convinced Taylor to join us!" Calum smiled at us both as we sat down across from them and I bounced my leg up and down, feeling anxious around the large group of people.

"This is Abbi," he introduced his date to us. "Abbi, these are my friends Taylor and Luke."

"It's nice to meet you," I smiled and shook her hand across the table, as did Luke.

It spiraled into a small conversation with Luke and Calum catching up on a few things that had happened recently.

Luke leaned over to me when Calum and Abbi started talking about something. "Hey, loosen up a bit. I can practically feel your tension all the way over here."

"Sorry," I said. "I don't like big crowds of people."

Luke placed his hand on my knee and stopped my leg from bouncing up and down so much, turning back to Calum and Abbi.

"So how long have you guys been together?" Abbi asked us.

"Me and Luke?" I asked, and Luke started laughing.

"Yeah, you guys seem really happy," she smiled.

"Oh, we aren't like that... At all," I laughed. "We're strictly friends. Absolutely nothing more. I have a boyfriend."

"Oh! My bad," she laughed and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "You guys seem like you're together, but I guess I shouldn't be making assumptions."

"It's okay, we get that a lot," Luke said. "We're completely used to it by now. But trust me, we have friend zoned each other so much that we have agreed that we're like siblings."

"Oh I see," she said. "What's your boyfriend like, Taylor?"

"He's great," I said. "He's really sweet and I'm happy to be with him."

"Do you have a girlfriend Luke?" she asked and Luke shook his head.

"I'm graduating in a few months," he said. "I guess you could say that a relationship isn't exactly on my priority list right now."

"That makes sense," she said. "Just wanting to focus on school and get it all done."

"Do you guys want a drink or something?" Calum asked. "We've just kinda been sitting here."

Most of the night I spent sitting at the table anxiously and getting more and more uncomfortable with the amount of people around me and Luke continuously putting his hand on my arm or my back, probably being able to tell how I wasn't exactly having a ball.

"I'm gonna go to the restroom," I excused myself and Luke looked at me concerned but I ignored his look and went into the girls' room.

I cringed at a girl puking in one of the stalls and pulled out my phone and did the only logical thing I could think to do.

"Taylor Parks." I could hear Ashton smile through the phone.

"Hi Ashton," I said, able to breathe at the sound of his voice.

"Are you alright? You sound a bit distressed," he asked, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. "I'm at a club with Luke and Calum and his date and there's just a bunch of people here is all. I needed a breather and I wanted to hear your voice."

"Well if it gets to be too much, I'll be glad to come and pick you up," he said.

"It's okay. I think Luke is going to bring me home pretty soon. I think he can sense my anxiety."

"Well I have all the sympathy in the world for you," he said. "You know I don't like crowds either and I'm very happy to be sitting home by myself tonight."

"Lucky you," I teased, relaxing more as I talked to Ashton longer. "I'm sorry to end the call so suddenly but I should really get back out to the others before they wonder why I've been in the restroom for so long."

"No problem," he said. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay," I said. "Goodnight Ashton."

I made my way back to our table to see they were all standing and saying what appeared to be goodbyes.

"We're going to head home," Calum explained. "I don't want to stay out too late and Abbi has some errands to run tomorrow."

"Okay," I hugged Calum and Abbi both goodbye and walked with Luke out to his car.

I relaxed once we were settled into the car and were driving home. The radio played softly and Luke was humming along to the tune while he drove.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't know there would be so many people there."

"It's okay," I said. "It was nice to meet Abbi. She seems sweet."

"Yeah she does," Luke said. "I'm happy for Calum. He hasn't had the best luck with girls."

We pulled into the parking lot of our apartments and walked upstairs. I asked Luke to unzip my dress for me as soon as we were inside. He chuckled and did as I walked into my bedroom and let it drop to the floor as soon as I shut the door.

I changed into my pajamas and went into the living room, looking for Luke. He wasn't in there or the kitchen so I assumed he was either in his bedroom or the bathroom.

"Luke?" I called down the hallway and walked to see the bathroom door shut and light coming from the bottom. I heard water shut off and Luke opened the door, looking down at me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

For some reason I felt upset about something, but I wasn't able to place what it was. I tilted my head down and rubbed my eyes, which had tears forming in them.

"What's wrong?" he asked, trying to tilt my head up to look at him but I kept my face down.

"Did something happen with Ashton?" I shook my head. "What's going on?"

"I don't know." I suddenly burst into tears and Luke pulled me into his chest and held me.

"Is this because I brought you out and there were so many people?" Luke asked me gently.

"I don't think so." I kept my head against Luke's chest, still crying and trying to get ahold on my emotions.

Luke guided me to the living room and sat me on the couch, where I wrapped in a blanket and cried into the back of the couch, feeling even worse at the loss of his presence. He reappeared a few moments later with a glass of water in his hand but I pushed it away and practically climbed in his lap in an attempt to be close to him.

"Taylor, I don't know why you're crying or what's going on," he said softly.

Images of my mom flashed through my head and I watched as she yelled at me while I sat at the table trying to do my homework, drink in hand. Another image of Chris taking my mom's alcohol and dumping it down the sink while she was passed out on the couch in an attempt to keep her from drinking more. I remembered all the insulting things she said to me growing up, telling me I'd never be good enough and I'd never be able to achieve what I dreamed of the most.

Luke rubbed my back as my crying stopped very slowly, turning from heaving to slight sobs to eventually laying against Luke and loosening my grip on his shirt, which I realized I'd had a fistful of so tightly my knuckles were white.

"Are you sure you don't know why you're so upset?" Luke asked me. I leaned forward and reached for the glass of water Luke had set on the table, which he reached out and handed to me.

I took a sip and wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my long sleeved t-shirt. "I think."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I just remembered all these things about my mom," I said. "Like everything that happened all rushed into my head and..." I stopped and took another sip of water to keep from crying again. "I don't know. My emotions got the best of me. I'm sorry Luke, you didn't ask for this."

"Hey, as your best friend I technically did ask for this," he said. "If I love you at your best then I love you at your worst too. And I do love you, Taylor, and I'm not going to let your mom come back and hurt you anymore like she did in the past. Things are different now."

I nodded and a couple more tears slipped from my eyes. Luke reached for a box of tissues and handed them to me so I could blow my nose.

Luke didn't know all the details about what my mom did. All he knew was pretty much the same that Ashton knew; she was an extreme alcoholic and was very verbally abusive. He didn't know about the extent that she went to to hurt me because I never wanted to get into it.

"Thank you." I laid my head against Luke's shoulder and closed my eyes, wondering how I'd ended up so lucky to have found him.

"You should go get some sleep," he said. "It's late."

I nodded and stood from the couch, throwing away my tissues in the kitchen garbage before going into the bathroom to wash my face and get ready for bed.

Luke hugged me again in the hallway before I headed into my own bed, giving me a kiss on the forehead. I tried to clear my head as I laid under my blankets, staring at the dark wall next to me before eventually drifting into slumber.


	29. Chapter 29

"Ashton and I are going out tomorrow night," I informed Luke Monday night while he was cooking dinner.

"On a Tuesday?" he looked at me funny.

"Yes. Tomorrow will mark exactly one month since we've been together," I said. Yeah, we were still in our honeymoon phase a little bit but we were milking every last bit of it. I wasn't looking forward to our first fight but I knew it was bound to happen at one point.

"Oh isn't that cute," he teased, stirring around the fried rice he was making. "What are you guys going to do?"

"I don't know, I think Ashton has something planned," I informed him. I closed my book I was reading and looked over at Luke, who was getting out plates.

"Well I'm sure whatever he has planned is going to make you come home all giddy like you usually do," he said, stirring a little teriyaki sauce into the rice.

"Oh shut up," I said. "I'm hungry, are you done yet?"

"Yes, chill out." Luke handed me my plate of food and I didn't even wait for him to sit down with me before I started eating.

"I'm sure it'll be great whatever it is," I said.

-

Turns out, Ashton didn't actually have anything planned so we stood in Starbucks Tuesday night after I got off work having no clue what to do.

"I don't want to go out, honestly," I said. "I've had my fill of 'going out' for a while. What do you want to do?"

Ashton thought for a second. "You know, Chinese food sounds really good right now."

"Yes it does," I said.

"And I think a nice little board game sounds fun too," he said.

"The Game of Life?" I suggested.

"My house, so Luke doesn't come in and third wheel and ruin it," he said, taking my hand and walking me outside with him to his car.

We stopped on the way to his house to get Chinese food and sat down with forks and our food in his living room playing The Game of Life like we did on Valentine's Day.

"I think this definitely beats going out and doing anything else tonight," I said, shoveling a forkful of noodles into my mouth while Ashton played his turn and reached for the sesame chicken.

"I would definitely agree," he said. "I hate going out anyways and I'd much rather be sitting here with you playing a dumb game."

We played a couple more turns, laughing about how Ashton seemed to keep getting more and more kids just like he did the last time we played.

"I swear, my wife is cheating on me," he shook his head. "There is no way in hell all of these kids are mine."

I laughed as he placed another baby into his car, standing from the floor and telling me he was going to get some water.

I spun the spinner on the board and took my turn, looking up afterwards to see Ashton had returned and was sitting next to me again, watching me with a smirk on his face.

"What?" I asked, blushing. He didn't even seem fazed by the fact that I noticed he was staring.

"What do you mean? I'm looking at you," he said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because you're my girlfriend," he said. "And I think you're beautiful."

"Smooth as ice here are we?" I teased, leaning in to nudge Ashton but he had other ideas.

He grabbed my hand from where I was trying to nudge him and held it to the side of me, leaning me back against the couch behind me. He leaned in and kissed me, letting go of my wrist and cupping my face with his hand, tangling his fingers in my hair behind my ear.

I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair as well, letting him move closer to me and kiss me more. I moved my hands down to his chest, dragging my nails down against the thin material of his shirt right down the middle of his chest, making his hand resting on his waist tighten. His lips detached from mine for a second as he let out a small moan.

Ashton didn't kiss me again though, he moved his lips to my neck and kissed on the same sensitive spot he found at Michael's party, only this time he swirled his tongue against it and bit down, dragging his teeth across my skin. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, grabbing his shirt in my hands. I tugged on the fabric as he slid his hands just under my shirt, touching my bare skin with his warm hands and grabbing my waist.

In one motion, Ashton turned around and leaned against the couch behind him, pulling me onto his lap and knocked over the little container of noodles in the process. I leaned in and kissed him again, wrapping my arms around his neck and he wrapped his around my waist, pulling me against him. His fingers traced little circles against my skin as our heated kissing slowed down and I eventually pulled away a little to rest my forehead against his.

"Is this how playing The Game of Life is always going to end?" I asked, smiling at him as he nudged his nose against mine and hugged me closer to him.

"Probably," he said. "I just like kissing you."

"What a coincidence? I like kissing you too," I leaned down and kissed him on the lips again for a moment and he lifted me off of his lap.

"It's getting late and we both have to work tomorrow," he said, trying to clean up the noodles he knocked over while I started putting away the game pieces.

"Will I be seeing you this weekend?" I asked, placing the top back on the game as he gathered the empty containers and went to throw them away. "I want to take Chloe for a walk. I just got this cute little collar for her."

"I don't think I've ever heard of someone walking a cat," he laughed while he put the game away in a closet.

"Well I'm not just anyone," I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I'm not ordinary."

"You certainly aren't," he hugged me back and leaned down to kiss me again briefly. "Let's get you home and I'll see what I can arrange for this weekend."


	30. Chapter 30

Saturday morning, I'd had plans with Ashton to go walk with Chloe through a park. Now that it was the beginning of April, it was finally starting to warm up outside and I was able to minimize my bundling to my windbreaker and jeans. Ashton was going to pick us up at around 10:30 so I put my hair into a ponytail and put the leash and collar on Chloe right as Ashton knocked on the door.

I walked Chloe out into the hallway with Ashton and she resisted a little at first but eventually gave in and walked with us into the elevator.

"Is she going to annoy me while I'm trying to drive?" Ashton asked as we got into the car and she sat in my lap, crawling into my shirt and clawing my skin as he started the engine.

"No." I cringed. "She's too scared by the sound of the engine."

Ashton laughed at me, pulling out of the parking lot and onto the road. He reached over and placed his warm hand on my thigh as I pet Chloe through my shirt.

"You know, despite how annoying they can be during times like this, I love cats so much," I said.

"Cats are great," Ashton said. "They're not smelly and big and noisy, and they are far more entertaining than dogs."

"Exactly!" I said. "And pretty much once they grow up and groom themselves better, you don't have to constantly give them baths. And they cuddle much more than dogs."

"Dogs bark all the time," Ashton said. "I'm the type of person who enjoys my peace and quiet and the worst you get from a cat is purring and meowing when they want attention."

"Let's just adopt like 30 cats," I said.

"Deal."

When we got to the park, I pulled Chloe out of my shirt and put the leash back on her, zipping my jacket back up and opening the door with her in one arm.

I waited until we were on the trail to put her down and she walked with us as we took a leisurely stroll down the trails, hand in hand. She would occasionally rub against our legs and purr, meowing in the middle of it.

Ashton stopped and sat down on a park bench. I picked up Chloe and sat with him, putting her on my lap despite her dirty little paws. I'd have to give her a bath when I got home.

I leaned against his shoulder as Chloe laid across my lap, taking a little nap.

"I'm so glad this miserable weather is finally warming up a little," I said, stroking Chloe on her back a couple times, making her purr and stick out her claws slightly.

"I'm excited for when it gets hot out and we can go swimming together," he said. "I love swimming."

"Me too!" I said. "I spent my entire first summer here unpacking and getting settled in that I didn't even go swimming anywhere."

"I'll take you swimming when it warms up." Ashton reached over to pet Chloe as well.

I turned my head to face him, realizing he'd leaned in a lot more since he was petting Chloe. Our noses brushed and my stomach fluttered.

I closed my eyes as I kissed him, just a short kiss for a couple seconds and stopped, our faces still touching and smiled.

"What?" he asked, smiling too.

"Nothing." I shook my head and kissed him again, this time a little longer than our last.

Chloe interrupted our moment by waking up and deciding to play with my ponytail, batting it around with her paws.

I pulled away and grabbed my ponytail, pulling it over my opposite shoulder. I couldn't wide away the giddy smile I had on my face.

"Why are you sitting there looking all cute and happy, Taylor Parks?" Ashton asked me, leaning back slightly to get a better look at my face.

"No reason," I shrugged. I grabbed Chloe and stood off the park bench, setting her down on the ground as Ashton stood as well.

"Everyone has a reason to smile," he said. "What's yours?"

"I don't know," I said, looking up into his glowing hazel eyes. "I think I'm just happy to have you."

"Believe me, I'm happy to have you too, Taylor Parks."

-

After another hour or so of walking around the park, my stomach was growling and Chloe was whining, probably because she was hungry too.

"I think Chloe is hungry and I am definitely hungry," I said to Ashton as we were walking back to his truck.

"I have a wonderful solution to that," he said.

"What is it?" I asked. All I had in mind was going back home and making lunch.

"There's a cat cafe downtown. We could drop Chloe there while we go get lunch somewhere and come back and get her," he said. "When I had my cat in college I would take him to the cat cafe all the time. They have excellent service there."

"Chloe could make more little kitty friends!" I smiled as we got into the car and I made sure to keep my jacket zipped up this time when Ashton started the car. Chloe's ears immediately pointed backwards, her eyes going wide as she dug her claws into my jacket, looking around like crazy.

"It's okay, Chloe, you're not gonna die," I said as I pet her, making her flinch. "Next time I am definitely bringing the cat carrier."

Ashton drove us to the cat cafe, and I carried Chloe inside as I looked around and saw a bunch of little cats running around playing with toys, eating, drinking water or running up the posts and towers. A short brunette with shoulder length hair and another somewhat short man stood behind the counter, with two extremely fat orange tabbies laying lazily on the counter.

"Hello! You've brought a friend!" the girl said, smiling as we walked up to the counter.

"This is Chloe," I said, setting her on the counter. One of the other orange tabbies put its ears back, hissing at Chloe. I hugged her back to my chest.

"No, poops!" she tapped it's head and it flinched but laid back against the counter again, purring.

"I'm Dallas!" she said, holding her hand out to shake. "This is my boyfriend, Louis but we have a mutual agreement that I'm actually going to marry Ed Sheeran." Louis rolled his eyes.

"Oh, that sounds fun." I nodded and tried not to judge the odd girl.

"Oh it is!" she nodded, continuing to ramble. "This is like, my entire dream! I get to cuddle cats everyday! Just bring Ed Sheeran and his glorious guitar in here and it would be the perfect life!"

"I'm still here," Louis said.

"So it's just this one you're dropping for a bit?" she asked, reaching her hand out to Chloe. Chloe rubbed her face against her hand affectionately.

"Yes," I said. "She's a real sweetheart."

"I'm sure she'll get along great with the other cats!" she smiled. This girl had way too much energy. I almost felt sorry for Louis.

"Except of course, these two troublemakers." Dallas rolled her eyes. "Their names are Ed and Sheeran. They're kinda grumpy."

I looked up at Ashton, who just smiled down at me.

"We were going to just go out and get some lunch," Ashton explained, smiling at Dallas. "But we can't take Chloe in with us, so we decided to leave her here for a bit. I used to bring my cat in here when I was in college and I know you guys take great care of the cats."

"Of course we do! I love cats!" Dallas said, looking over at one of the feeding bowls. "Hey babe, can you go fill that bowl? It's almost empty."

Louis reached under the counter to get a bag of cat food while Dallas pet both of the fat orange cats--Ed and Sheeran--on the counter. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." Louis leaned in and gave Dallas a kiss on the cheek.

"I was talking to Ed," she said. "But I mean, yes I love you too Louis."

Louis looked at Dallas blankly, took the bag of cat food and stalked over to the bowl.

"Well we're extremely hungry," I smiled, trying to keep my thoughts and comments to myself. "So we'll be back in like an hour to come get her again."

"Sounds like a plan!" Dallas scooped up Chloe from the counter and scratched behind her ears, making her purr. "We'll take great care of her, don't you worry!"

Ashton wrapped his arm around my shoulder and walked outside again while I turned around once more to see Louis hold Chloe as well, and she was obviously enjoying all the attention.

She'd be fine.

"They're definitely an... interesting couple," I said to Ashton as we walked down the street to the little Italian coffee house we went to on our first dinner date.

"Dallas just likes to give Louis shit," Ashton said. "She does love him, she just really loves Ed Sheeran too."

"Could have fooled me," I said as we walked inside and he leaned down and kissed my forehead while we waited in the short line.

We ordered sandwiches again, this time treating ourselves to a little gelato. We laughed and talked the entire time, almost choking on our food a couple times.

"No dramatic storm out this time I hope?" Ashton asked as he finished the last of his gelato.

"I wouldn't run away from you even if I wanted to, Ashton."


	31. Chapter 31

I sat down at Starbucks with Ashton with my tea in my hand while he was scrolling through his phone. He looked up at me and smiled, holding his arm out for me to sit with him.

"Hey beautiful," he kissed me on the cheek and locked his phone, sliding it into his pocket. "I missed you all week."

I'd had a meeting to go to on Tuesday that ran late and I ended up missing my usual meet with Ashton.

"Well I have the perfect way to make it up to you," I said, handing him my tea and he took a sip. This was becoming a usual thing for us. I would get a tea and he would take a sip and try to guess what kind of tea it is.

"That's definitely chai," he said. "And what is this perfect way to make it up to me?"

"Calum invited us all to go out with him and Abbi again tomorrow night," I said. "And I promise, this time I won't get overly drunk and cry and then pass out on you."

Ashton laughed at the memory. "Well I'm glad to hear that. Who's Abbi?"

"Oh, she's this girl Calum has been seeing," I said. "She's nice."

Ashton nodded. "Sure. What time and where are we going?"

"Luke never bothers to tell me these things until the last minute." I rolled my eyes. "I'll get back to you on that."

"Okay," he said, taking my tea again. "I love chai, give me more of that."

-

I didn't make dinner for Luke and I Friday night because we were going to meet up somewhere with Ashton, Abbi and Calum instead. I put on a nice dress and waited for Luke to finish getting ready before we left.

When we got to the restaurant, Ashton was already in the waiting area with Calum and Abbi. They were talking as we walked in and Ashton smiled at us, seeming to light up the entire room.

"Hey guys," Luke and I greeted the others as we walked in, giving hugs out to everyone. I hugged Ashton last, who kept his arm around me while we waited to be seated.

It wasn't long before we were, and I sat between Ashton and Luke across from Abbi and Calum.

Calum, Abbi and Luke all caught up and talked about the club we were planning on going to while I told Ashton about things I'd been doing with Chloe and he actually listened to my unintelligent rambling.

"I think we should head to that club now," Calum said, checking the time on his phone. "It opened a little bit ago so let's go in before it gets too packed in the parking lot."

Calum gave Ashton the address to the club and we said quick goodbyes since we'd be seeing each other again in a few minutes.

Luke drove us to the club and we pulled in at about the same time as the others, parking somewhat close to each other. I got out and said hello to Ashton, who intertwined our fingers as we went to go inside.

I decided not to get a drink right away this time and instead occupied myself by following Ashton to a couch and sat right next to him. Luke sat down as well, eyeing a group of girls dancing nearby. Calum and Abbi went to dance right away, laughing together and obviously having a good time with each other.

"Just go dance with one Luke," I said, nudging him. He looked over at me and blushed.

"What?" he asked.

"I see you looking at those girls," I said. "I'm sure any of them would be delighted to dance with a good looking guy like you."

Ashton gave him a playful push and Luke stood and awkwardly walked up to the group of girls. Immediately, one of them pulled him into their group and started dancing with him. He looked over at Ashton and I helplessly and we both gave him a thumbs-up of encouragement.

I laughed as we watched him disappear into the crowd with the group of girls, probably enjoying all the attention.

"He's so weird," I said. "He acts like he's all that and then blushes when girls actually get all over him."

"He's all talk," Ashton said. "Most guys are."

"Yeah, they come off like total assholes," I smirked up at Ashton who rolled his eyes at me.

"Come on." He stood up, taking my hand. "This asshole wants to dance."

I let him pull me off the couch and into the crowd of people. The music was hardly danceable for me--not that I can dance--and I ended up pulling out my drunk dance moves again.

"So this is how you dance when you're sober?" Ashton laughed as I did the sprinkler. "Exactly like how you dance drunk?"

"Pretty much." I laughed with him. "Hey lets get a drink. Just one for now."

Ashton took me with him over to the bar and ordered us a couple fruity drinks and I drank mine slowly, not wanting to get even tipsy tonight. I turned and looked around while he was getting our drinks, slightly startled by a guy sitting on one of the couches staring right at me. I turned back around, moving closer to Ashton, who put his arm around me and I relaxed a little.

Luke came out of the group of girls with his shirt stretched out a lipstick kiss on his cheek.

"Looks like someone could have gotten laid tonight," I said as he sat down and ordered a drink as well.

"Could have," he said. "But I don't really want to anyways."

He took a sip of his drink and we were soon joined by Calum and Abbi again, both laughing.

"This music sucks," Abbi said laughing as Calum handed her a drink. "This is crap I hear on the radio. I want to actually dance."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks so," I laughed. "Although it's perfect music to do drunk dance moves to."

"Because it's easy to dance out of time?" Ashton said, nudging me.

"Hey!" I frowned at him. I've never had the best sense of rhythm.

"It's cute," he said, leaning in and kissing my nose. "Let's go dance out of time more."

Ashton took my hand and pulled me back out into the crowd of people and this time did a few dance moves that would look like a stereotypical white dad trying to dance at a family barbecue. 

"Ashton, you are a horrible dancer!" I laughed as he did the disco dance a couple times and then grabbed me by my waist and pulled me close to him, kissing me a couple times and ignoring the large amount of people surrounding us.

Ashton pulled me closer to where Luke was, stopping and letting go of me. "I have to pee, I'll be right back."

I nodded and let him go, watching as he walked towards the bathroom. I smiled at him, admiring everything about him as he walked away.

I turned around just to be bumped into by the guy I'd seen staring at me before. I was able to see now that he had bloodshot blue eyes and messy hair, obviously drunk by the way he was stumbling around and spilled his drink. Oh boy.

"I thought I'd never get an opening," he smirked, taking a sip out of what was left of his drink.

"An opening for what?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"To come and talk to you," he said as if it were obvious. "I have had my eyes on you all night."

"I have a boyfriend," I said, attempting to move away from him.

"Really? I don't see him," he moved closer to me, backing me into a corner. "Must be a great boyfriend if he's not even around to defend himself."

"He went into the bathroom!" I pushed him back. "Get away from me, you creep!"

"Oh, you don't want to do that, miss," he grabbed my wrists from my chest and pulled me closer to him. I started panicking and tried to pull out of his grip.

"Can't I get one kiss from you?" his grip tightened as he pulled me even closer. I struggled even more.

"Luke!" I yelled, trying to get his attention but he was laughing with Calum about something and probably couldn't hear me over the music anyways. I couldn't blame him for any of it; he was facing the other way and probably thought I was still with Ashton anyways.

"Oh yeah, call to your boyfriend to try and save you," he mocked me and I lifted my knee to kick him in the crotch, but he kicked my knee back out of the way.

"He's not her boyfriend." Ashton appeared next to me, suddenly moving between us and shoving him off of me. He landed on the ground in front of us, and I held my aching wrists to my chest.

"Ashton!" I reached for his arm, grateful for his heroic actions, though he didn't look happy with me at all.

"Outside now." Ashton didn't even look at me and took me by my wrist and pulled me toward the door.

"Ow!" I tried to wiggle my wrist from Ashton's grip but he didn't let go as he practically dragged me outside. "Ashton, you're hurting me!"

He let go of my wrist and turned around to me, looking angry. "What the hell was that?!"

"What?" I backed away from him. "I had no control over that situation! I was trying to get away from him!"

"You don't move into a corner to get away from someone like that, Taylor!" he yelled, stepping closer to me. I backed into the wall behind me, suddenly frightened of Ashton.

"I didn't see where I was going, I was just trying to get away!" I yelled back, despite the fact that Ashton was towering over me. "I told you I didn't have any control over that situation, I was trying to yell for Luke's help!"

Ashton raised his hand and I flinched, cowering slightly until I realized he was running it through his hair in frustration.

I started panicking again, images of Josh flooding through my mind. I should know that Ashton is nothing like Josh but that's not what my brain was telling me. My brain was telling me to get the hell away from him.

"Taylor... Did you think I was going to hit you?" Ashton's tone softened as tears poured out of my eyes and I turned and ran back inside--as best as I could in heels--in search of Luke. I should have been fazed by the way he called me by just my first name.

"Taylor, wait!" Ashton followed me as I ran into Luke, who was coming outside looking concerned.

"Luke! Please take me home!" I grabbed onto his shirt and cried into it, trying to drag him towards his car at the same time.

"Taylor, what's going on?" he asked, looking down at me and back at Ashton, who had both of his hands in his hair and looked extremely distressed.

"I just want to go home! Please!" I sobbed into his chest and he placed his hand on my back.

"Okay, okay," he said. "I'll get you home, come on."

"Taylor." I heard Ashton's voice behind me but I just wanted to go home and forget about everything that happened.


	32. Chapter 32

"Taylor?" I woke up to Luke poking his head in my door. I sat up and rubbed my sore eyes.

He stepped into my room and brought me a cup of something and I took a sip and recognized it was tea. Chloe moved from her place sleeping at the foot of my bed to come lay in my lap and purred as she laid her head on my leg.

He sat on my bed with me and brushed my hair off of my face. "How are you feeling?"

"Not good." My heart sank as I remembered the events from the night before. I knew we were bound to have our first fight at some point but I never expected it to be as bad as this one. I cried the entire way home in the car and when I got out Luke had to hug me and rub my back for a few minutes before we could even get in the elevator. When we finally got inside I sat on the couch and cried even more. I couldn't remember the last time I cried that much in one night. I finally told Luke what happened and he helped me wash my makeup off in the bathroom and tucked me into my bed to sleep, where I was now sitting with Luke still not feeling great.

"He hasn't even tried to call me." I looked at my phone, which had nothing in the recents for missed calls or messages. He probably hated me, getting sick of all the times I'd just run away from my problems and not fix them. Didn't I just tell him a couple weeks ago that I wouldn't run away from him even if I wanted to?

But there was no getting around it. That's what I do. When things go wrong I run away. And I wouldn't be surprised if Ashton was done chasing me.

"Why don't you get up and take a shower?" Luke said, holding my hand as I stared at the blanket in front of me. "You'll feel better."

I nodded, though I knew it wouldn't help much. I didn't even realize how strong my feelings were for Ashton until I was pretty sure I ruined what meant most to me right now.

The water was practically scalding me because it was so hot. I got out and dried my hair, the shower finally washing off all my dried tears and smeared mascara from the night before. I did feel a little better, but not much.

I stepped out into the hallway in my sweats. I'm assuming Luke heard the door open and called me out into the living room.

"Luke, I'm sorry but I just really want to go back to bed." I rubbed my eyes as I walked in, then stopped and stood a bit shocked to see that Ashton was sitting on the couch.

"Taylor," he stood and approached me, and Luke left the room.

"Hi Ashton." I looked down from his intense gaze, afraid of what he might have to say.

"Please look at me," he said. "I don't want you to be afraid of me. I'd never want to hurt you."

I looked back up at him and he stared down at me and gently took my face in his hand. I let his thumb caress my cheek.

"I'm not afraid of you Ashton," I said. "I'm just afraid of losing you."

I sat down on the couch next to him and placed my hands in my lap, waiting for what he had to say.

"I'm so sorry about last night," he said. "I don't know what I was thinking. I was so angry that someone would try to take advantage of you when I left for less than 5 minutes and I guess you were just the easiest person to take it out on. You didn't deserve that, and I know that you were just trying to get away from him. I hurt you when you were already weak and I feel so horrible."

"Ashton, I'm sorry too," I said. "I shouldn't have ran away from you and I shouldn't have flinched at you. I was just so distraught and I didn't know, because you were scaring me the way you were yelling at me. I've never seen you angry before last night."

"And you should never be scared of me, even when I'm angry," he said. "I would never hit you. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you."

"I know," I said. "I forgive you as long as you forgive me."

"Of course I forgive you. I would have ran away too," he said. "I'm so sorry."

I reached for his hand and he pulled me into his arms. I sighed in relief, so thankful I didn't lose him over something like this.

Luke walked into the room and sat down with us on the couch.

"And Luke, I'm sorry for ruining your night," Ashton said. "I know you're the one who always takes care of Taylor when she's upset."

"It's no big deal, really," Luke said. "I've been through worse."

"I want to take you both to breakfast to make up for it," Ashton said. "I was a total dick last night and I want to do something for you guys."

"It's okay, Ashton we don't have to go out--"

"I insist," he interrupted. "Go get dressed."

I stood from the couch without another word, knowing he wasn't going to take no for an answer. I brushed out my hair again and pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with a sweatshirt. I went out into the living room again and put my shoes on, waiting for Luke to come back out.

Ashton walked up to me after I'd tied my shoes and wrapped his arms around me. "You know I really am sorry."

"I know, Ashton." I laid my head against his chest. "Can we try to forget about last night? I don't want it to drag us down anymore."

Ashton kissed my head as Luke entered the room finally, sitting down to put his shoes on.

"You really don't have to do this, Ashton, but I'm hungry and I am not the type to pass up a nice meal first thing in the morning," he said as he finished tying his second lace and stood up with us.

-

After going to iHop for pancakes and arguing on what we should do for the day, we ended up going to a trail a short ways away to go for a "nature walk." Luke was fine with third wheeling all day and I was having fun with the two of them, every last bit of tension from the night before seeming to dissolve more with every minute we all spent together.

Eventually we decided to head back home and I made lunch for Luke and Ashton before Ashton left to go back home and Luke and I sat on the couch watching TV.

"I'm glad that worked itself out," Luke said. "Ashton really is a good guy."

"He is." I leaned over on Luke as he flipped through the channels.

"I'm so glad you gave him a chance Taylor," he said. "You're a lot happier with him. Everyone can tell."

"I know," I said. "Even I can tell."

After a little bit, Luke slouched down further on the couch and decided on a movie that was playing on TV.

"Luke, can I tell you something?" I said.

"Yeah, of course you can," he said, looking up at me, still sitting up on the couch.

"I feel something really deep and strong for Ashton," I said. "and it honestly scares me a little bit. What if I think he's perfect for me and then it turns out he's not?"

"Don't we always take that risk in a relationship?" He said. "A lot of people feel that way when they start falling head over heels for someone."

I sat and let his words sink in. Was I head over heels for Ashton? Oh beyond the shadow of a doubt. I loved everything about him. His curly hair, his eyes, his slightly crooked smile, his nerdy laugh and his dorky ways. The way he holds himself to a high standard but is actually a big goofball. The way being in his arms made you feel like cuddling a giant teddy bear. The way he always showed me how he cared for me with everything he did, from his "text me when you get home" to the gentle touch he always had and the little kisses he would always plant on my forehead or my cheek. You're never bored with him because he always has something interesting to talk about that makes you wonder how his brain works. He was so intriguing and I was cast under a spell so powerful even the strongest voodoo witch to ever exist couldn't reverse it.

I was in love with Ashton Irwin.


	33. Chapter 33

I woke up to my phone ringing on the table next to my bed. It was already almost noon. I'd had a long week and I was so exhausted that I didn't even realize how late I'd slept.

"Ashton?" I answered the phone, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Good morning sunshine," he said. "Did I wake you?"

"Yeah, but it's okay. I need to get up anyways," I said, falling back on the bed and closing my eyes.

"Well if I were you I'd get your cute little tush out of bed and get dressed," he said, my cheeks blushing a little at his choice of words. "I'm coming to pick you up at 2."

"Oh," I sat up. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see. I'll see you at 2, Taylor Parks." He hung up without another word and I wondered what he could possibly have planned.

I got out of bed to find the stereo was playing music and Luke was dancing in the kitchen and singing along.

"The sleeping beauty has finally risen!" he smiled and took my hands, attempting to get me to dance with him. I laughed but was only halfhearted with it since I'd just awaken.

"I was gonna go in and make sure you were still alive there soon," Luke said, turning back to the stove. He was frying bacon on it while also flipping pancakes. Luke was a pro at multitask cooking, thanks to me.

"I thought you would have eaten and been out of your pajamas by now," I laughed at Luke and how it was 11:30 in the morning and he was still in his penguin pajama pants. He was usually up way before I was on weekends.

"Oh I slept in for a while today," he said. "I was up really late last night studying. I've got finals in a couple weeks."

"Luke, you're one of the most intelligent people I know," I said. "You have nothing to worry about."

"I know, but I'm still worried," he said. "I want to graduate in a couple months, not in a couple quarters."

"It's okay, I did the same thing." I sat at the table and flipped through a magazine sitting on it, my stomach growling from the smell of food.

Luke continued to sing along and make breakfast in the kitchen, almost getting a pancake stuck on the ceiling because he flipped it a little too high.

"Okay that's enough pancake flipping for today," he said as he turned off the stove and put our plates on the table, turning down the stereo so it was like quiet background music.

"You're such a goof," I laughed as I poured orange juice into a couple glasses for us.

"I'm just as much a goof as you are, Taylor, don't argue with me," he said. "You're the one who sits around reading all the time with your stupid sweaters. They're way too big!"

"They're comfy!" I argued. "And books are a great way to expand your horizons of knowledge and look at things from another perspective or look into another world completely!"

"Nerd," he mumbled as he took a bite of his pancakes and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Ashton called me this morning and said he's taking me somewhere at 2," I said. "But he didn't tell me where or anything."

"Nice," he said. "Do you have any idea when you'll be getting home?"

"No clue. You should go out and do something with some friends," I said.

"I don't have any friends," he said. "I've been too focused on schoolwork and not partying, which I guess isn't normal in college so no one wants to hang out with me except Calum. And even Calum is more infatuated with Abbi now."

"Is that jealousy I sense?"

"No!" Luke scowled at me across the table and I laughed, finishing the last of my pancakes and starting to wash the few dishes from breakfast.

"Hey Luke, do you mind vacuuming the floors today while I'm gone?" I asked.

He groaned like a child but said "fine" and stalked out of the kitchen and down the hall. I seriously felt like his mother sometimes.

I washed the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen before going into my room to get dressed before I went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth. I applied a small amount of makeup and brushed out my tangled hair, going back into my room to play with Chloe for a little while and read before Ashton knocked on the front door and I hollered a goodbye to Luke.

"Hello Taylor Parks," he greeted me in his usual way. "You look delightful on this fine afternoon."

I smiled at his elevated language that I had grown to absolutely adore over the few months I'd gotten to know and love him. "Why thank you, Ashton Irwin. You don't look so bad yourself."

He pushed the button for the elevator and smiled at me before he leaned down and gave me a quick kiss and stepped onto the elevator with me.

"Am I allowed to know where we're going now?" I asked when we were driving down the road and Ashton just smiled.

"You'll find out when we get there," he said.

He drove past downtown Seattle and pulled into the parking lot for the Seattle Art Museum and I laughed when he parked the car and turned it off.

"Let's go be nerds together!"

-

A few hours later, we were walking through downtown Seattle hand in hand, debating on where to go for dinner. We finally decided on a simple little inexpensive restaurant.

All throughout dinner I watched him talk across the table, mesmerized by the way he moved his hands when he talked, and the way he giggled about little things that he found amusing. He was such a work of art and I was so lucky he was mine to appreciate.

After we left the restaurant and made our way back to his truck, I found myself disappointed that the day was over already.

"Should I take you back to your apartment now?" he asked as we got into his truck.

"Can we actually go to your place?" I asked. He looked surprised by my request.

"I don't want the night to end yet," I said and he smiled and leaned over to kiss me across the seat.

"We can go to my house and play a board game or something and I'll take you home later," he said. "Does that sound good?"

I nodded, smiling at him as he started the engine.

However, when we got to his house, we didn't play board games. We got inside and I stopped at the front door after I took off my shoes and jacket.

"Taylor?" he looked back at me. "What are you doing?"

"I love you, Ashton."

"What?" he looked startled by my confession.

"I hate the concept of having my entire heart devoted to one particular human being. I have experienced enough in my life to make me run far away and never look back when someone says the word 'love.' I hate the idea of being so helplessly infatuated with someone that every little thing they do makes you smile and feel giddy inside and it scares the living shit out of me," I said. "And I love you. I am so undeniably in love with you."

Ashton stood stunned for a moment, and I was scared that my confession was made too soon and that this was a huge step way too far for him, and for a split second I worried that I had just ruined things between him and I. But all of that fear and worry dissipated when Ashton stepped forward and kissed me, his hands on either side of my face. I didn't realize until that moment that my heart was pounding against my ribcage, threatening to burst out of my chest completely. I wrapped my hands around the collar of his shirt, pulling him down to me. I wanted, needed more of him. His hands moved to my waist, backing me against the door behind me.

"I love you so much, Taylor Parks," he said, finally pulling away for air.

I kissed him again, fireworks erupting through my entire body. I'd never felt this way for anyone before and I knew I wouldn't ever feel it for anyone else. I walked forward into him, backing him down the hallway and towards his bedroom.

He shut the door behind us, the room pitch dark. My heart was still racing as he moved in to kiss me again, backing me against his bed. I fell backwards onto it and he reached over and turned on the lamp next to his bed, giving a warm glow to the entire room.

I reached up with shaky hands and pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it to the floor. I took in his bare torso and grabbed him by the waist, and pulled him towards me, my nails digging into his skin as he hovered over me, kissing me once again. He reached down to slide his hands beneath my own shirt, pulling from our kiss just long enough to pull it over my head and toss it to the ground.

I tangled my fingers in his hair as one of his large hands moved up my waist and cupped my breast, my skin igniting everywhere his touch landed. I laid my head back while he kissed my neck, his warm lips like velvet against my delicate skin. His hands slowly moved down to my jeans, unbuttoning them and pulling them off my legs. My heart did laps in my chest, realizing how exposed I was to him but I didn't want to stop. He was the one I wanted this with.

I moved my own hands down to his pants, reaching to unbutton them and I couldn't help but notice they were tighter around his crotch. I unbuttoned them and pulled them down his legs as best as I could, the last bit he kicked off and moved back over me, touching my face gently with his hand.

"Oh my god," he whispered.

"I don't want to stop," I whispered back, his lips meeting mine again as he reached behind my back to unhook my bra. I let him remove it, tossing it with the rest of our clothes laying on the floor. He moved down and kissed my newly exposed skin, his teeth moving across it as he bit down and sucked on my chest, right on a sensitive spot that caused a small moan to escape my lips.

His fingers dug into the skin on my hips as I tangled my fingers through his soft curls again. He buried his face in my neck to bite down and suck on that skin as well, grinding his hips against mine. Another moan slipped from my mouth, as did one from his, tickling my neck from the resonance of his voice.

"Please," I whispered, tugging his underwear down his legs. My breathing picked up as he turned to face me again, kissing me while he slid my own panties down my thighs.

-

"So much for playing board games," Ashton said as I laid against his chest in his bed, my head on his shoulder.

"This was better anyways," I smiled, scratching back and forth on his chest lightly with my nails. I didn't regret anything I'd just done with Ashton.

"I don't know, The Game of Life has been pretty entertaining," he teased. "It's comparable."

"Oh fuck off," I rolled my eyes, but I was smiling as he laughed as well, moving to climb out of bed.

"Where are you going?" I asked. "I don't want to go home tonight--"

"I'm not going to let you go home after what we just did," Ashton said. "You're staying the night, it's okay. I'll be right back."

I laid back in bed as Ashton walked into the bathroom in his bedroom, turning on the light. I rolled over on my side and cuddled the blankets, images of the past hour coming back into my mind. It was the best moment with Ashton I'd had by far. Nothing else even compared to the intimacy I felt with him now.

"Taylor?" Ashton called me from in the bathroom.

"Yeah?" I called back, turning my head so I could hear him better.

"Could you come in here please?" he asked.

I stood from the bed and wrapped one of the sheets around my naked body, entering the bathroom, which was rather bright in contrast to the small lamp that was the only source of lighting in his room before.

I looked to see Ashton had run his bathtub full of water that was slightly steaming and a bunch of bubbles.

"It's like you can read my mind," I said. I dropped the sheet and without hesitation stepped into the tub, sinking down into the water and sighing from the heat.

"Please get in here with me," I said, closing my eyes and Ashton chuckled, getting into the tub behind me and I leaned against him.

Ashton traced his fingers along my skin, up and down my arms and legs, and down my back. The action was calming and I turned around to face him, smiling a little as I leaned my forehead against his.

"Stop it," he said quietly.

"What?" I asked.

"Being all cute with your sleepy smile and messy sex hair," he said, leaning and kissed my cheek. I turned and kissed him on the lips briefly.

"Stop making this night so perfect," I replied, smiling even more at him.

"I could kick you out with no clothes and no ride home into the cold night?" he offered.

"That sounds perfect," I giggled, laying my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my head.

"Thank you," I said quietly after a couple minutes of silence.

"For?"

"Everything, I guess," I closed my eyes. "Making me happy again."

"You know it's my pleasure, Taylor Parks."


	34. Chapter 34

Wednesday, May 17.

I sat in my office, knowing this marked a very important date. It wasn't one that I should have ever had to have marked, though it was one of the best things I'd done to better myself.

Knowing it was exactly a year ago that I'd made the decision to leave Josh and move far away from him, I sat in my office unable to sit still. My paranoia was getting the best of me. I worried that Josh would eventually find out where I am and come to take revenge on me for everything that happened.

My thoughts were interrupted by my phone ringing, on my desk, which I jumped at but answered. "Hello?"

"Hi Taylor," Megan's voice sounded into the phone from the front lobby. "You have a visitor."

"Who?" I asked, panicking. What if Josh sent someone to pose as my brother to come in and actually kill me or something?

"You'll be happy to see him," she said. "I'll send him up."

I hung up, telling myself to relax. I was being way too jumpy about everything. It was probably just Luke or Ashton.

A knock on my door sounded and I told whoever it was to come in. Much to my relief, it was just my wonderful boyfriend in his mint green veterinary scrubs, his face poking in with a cute little smile on it.

"Hey Ashton," I said. I felt my cheeks rush with heat remembering the last time I'd seen him, which was Sunday morning after he'd driven me home--the morning after our intimate night. I didn't see him on Tuesday because I was being overly paranoid and told him and Luke I wasn't feeling good, but actually just wanted to come home because I was too afraid to be out of the comfort of my own apartment.

I of course didn't get by with Luke when I got home Sunday morning without texting him that I was spending the night with Ashton. He immediately drilled me with questions and even found the faint hickey on my neck that I'd attempted to hide with my hair. I knew that he knew, but I'd never admit to him what really happened.

"I was just checking to see how you were doing," Ashton said, stepping inside. I stood from my desk and noticed he had a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Ashton! Those are gorgeous." He handed them to me and I smelled them, admiring the pastel colors of the new spring that was upon us. He pulled me in for a hug and gave me a quick kiss before he sat down on the chair in front of me.

"Are you feeling any better than yesterday?" he asked.

Debating on whether or not to confess and tell him I was actually feeling just fine aside from my paranoia, I still fed into my ever growing lie. "Yeah, I'm feeling much better."

"That's good." He smiled at me as I put the flowers in the empty vase on my desk. I'd fill it with water on my next break.

"Do you want to come over tonight?" I asked. "It's my night to make dinner and you always have me come over for dinner. I don't think I've actually ever made dinner for you."

"Sure," he nodded. "What time?"

"I get off at 4:30," I said. "Luke gets off at 5:30, but I'll probably go home before then."

"I'll come over at 5?"

I nodded. "Yeah, that works." He stood back up and wrapped his arms around me, resting his forehead against mine. I closed my eyes and relaxed in the security of his presence, knowing it would be gone shortly.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "You seem tense."

I nodded, opening my eyes and looking back up at him. "I'm just a little stressed is all. I always am this time of year."

"Relax," he said. "Everything is going to be just fine."

I tried to believe his words and laid my head against his chest once more before he pulled away for a moment.

"I have to get back to work," he said. "But I'll see you tonight."

I leaned up and gave him a kiss, and he kissed me back, cupping my face in his hand. I loved the way he did that.

"I love you," I said when I pulled away from him, butterflies fluttering in my stomach as I said it.

"I love you, Taylor Parks," he smiled before giving me one more kiss and heading back out the door.

-

I was able to calm down a lot when I got home around 4:50 and changed out of my work clothes and started making dinner. Around 5:15 I heard a knock on the door and I opened it up to see Ashton.

"Sorry I'm here a bit later than I intended," he said. "Traffic was awful."

"That's okay," I said as I walked back into the kitchen to the food I was cooking on the stove. Ashton followed me into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around me from behind, kissing my head and the back of my neck while I was cooking, which was extremely distracting.

"You're going to make me ruin the food," I said, though I didn't want his affection to stop.

He pulled away from me and I frowned, just to be lifted off of my feet and away from the food completely.

"Hey! Put me down!" I laughed as Ashton threw me over his shoulder and carried me into the living room, throwing me down on the couch and laughing as he hovered over me.

"The food is going to burn!" I said, but stopped when Ashton leaned down and kissed me. I laid back and let him, my interest in cooking declining rapidly.

He pulled back and I laid on the couch slightly dumbfounded as he stood up and pulled me up too, smiling at me. I gave him a playful shove before walking back into the kitchen to finish cooking dinner.

Ashton sat at the table talking to me about a bunch of nerdy stuff I didn't quite understand but tried to follow and Luke came through the front door just as I was finishing dinner.

"Hi Luke," I said as I dished it onto plates. "I invited Ashton over for dinner."

"Hey Ashton," he greeted him and sat down at the table as well while I placed the plates in front of the two of them.

We chattered mindlessly throughout dinner, Luke making his usual annoying comments and making me blush but Ashton laugh them off like he usually does.

"Let's play a board game before you go home, Ashton," Luke suggested and left the room while I did the dishes, Ashton helping cleanup.

We went into the living room to see Luke had set up Monopoly on the floor. I kept from panicking this time, and Ashton looked at me questioningly when he saw Luke's choice.

"It's okay," I nodded, and he wrapped his arm around me and kissed my forehead before we walked into the living room to join Luke.

We were about 20 minutes into the game, and we were all laughing and actually having a good time. I was just beginning to relax when I heard my phone ringing next to me.

I looked at the caller ID and frowned.

"Guys, I'm sorry, I have to take this," I said, leaving the room and answering my phone.

"Liam?" I said when I shut my door behind me in my room. "What's going on?" I knew he wouldn't be calling me if it weren't serious.

"Taylor, there's been an accident."


	35. Chapter 35

"Taylor, there's been an accident."

I stopped from my pacing and my heart started pounding. "What happened?"

"It's Chris," he said. "He's in the hospital."

"Oh my god," I said, immediately moving to start throwing clothes into a bag. "Do you know what happened? Is he okay?"

"He's been shot. No one knows who it was or anything, though I have my suspicions," he said. "He's in surgery right now, I don't know how long it'll be and I don't know if he's going to make it."

"Oh my god," I said again, stopping and closing my eyes. This was not happening.

"I'm so sorry to be the bearer of bad news," he said.

"I'll be on my way to Albany tonight," I said. "I'll leave as soon as I can."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, he's my brother," I said. "I can't just leave him there and not come see him, especially if he doesn't even make it."

"Okay," he said quietly. "Sophia and I are in the hospital here and we'll be here waiting for you when you get here."

"Okay," I breathed. "Thank you Liam."

I hung up and ran my hands through my hair, holding myself together. My brother. The one who protected me and was the only one who ever understood and was sympathetic of everything I'd been through was in the hospital and his survival was uncertain.

I finished throwing my clothes into my bag, opening my bedroom door and hurrying into the bathroom to grab my toiletries.

I guess Luke and Ashton heard because as I was about to rush back into my room to throw them in my bag, I bumped into Ashton in the hallway, dropping everything I had in my arms.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" he asked. "What's going on?"

"I have to leave," I said, reaching down to pick up what I'd dropped. "I have to go to Albany, my brother is in the hospital."

"Wait a minute Taylor." Luke appeared in front of me as well all of a sudden. I felt as though I might pass out.

"I really have to go, I'm sorry," I pushed past them and into my bedroom, putting them into my bag.

"You're not going anywhere by yourself," Ashton said. Both of them were in my room just then, and I knew this was it. That's when I lost it and started crying uncontrollably, falling on the floor next to my bed.

I hugged my knees to my chest as Ashton and Luke came over to me, Luke rubbing my back while Ashton took my face in his hands.

"Hey, calm down," he said soothingly, looking me in the eyes and coaching me to take slow, deep breaths.

"There's a lot of things you need to tell both of us," he said softly.

"I know," I cried. "And I'm sorry, but my brother is in the hospital and they don't know if he's going to make it and--"

"Hey, shh," Ashton wiped away the tears that were still pouring from my eyes. "We're coming to Albany with you and you can explain everything on the way."

I nodded, knowing this was what I had to do. I took a couple more deep breaths and Ashton helped me up while Luke left the room, saying he was going to grab some clothes before we left.

"How far is Albany from here?" Ashton asked, helping me up and zipping up my bag for me, putting it on his shoulder.

"About 4-5 hours," I said. "I need to do something with Chloe, I can't leave her here but I can't take her with me."

"Dallas and Louis can take care of her, we'll drop her off on our way," he said. We walked into the living room and met Luke sitting and tying his shoes. I grabbed my jacket and put my own shoes on, getting the cat carrier for Chloe and settling her into it.

"We can take my car, it gets really good gas mileage," Ashton said. "I should stop by my house and get some clothes really quick and then we can get going."

I nodded and grabbed Chloe in her carrier while Luke made sure all the lights and heater was turned off before we headed downstairs to Ashton's truck.

-

Once we stopped by Ashton's house for him to grab clothes, we stopped by the cat cafe, catching it just before Dallas was closing up. She looked extremely excited to have Chloe again, and talked about how she missed Chloe from the last time she stayed and was happy to watch her and take care of her while we were gone.

I was sitting in the middle seat in the front of Ashton's truck, slightly uncomfortable because it was a little cramped being between two tall men. I was directing Ashton to which interstate to take that would lead us right into Portland, which was about an hour away from Albany.

Once we were on the freeway, Ashton turned the heater down and relaxed back against his seat, cruise control on while I braced myself for the interrogation I knew was going to come.

"So..." Luke started the conversation first. "I'd like to know about everything, Taylor."

"I know," I said quietly. "But first I just want to apologize to both of you for hiding so much for so long."

"Just tell us what all this is about," Ashton said. "No more secrets."

"Well, I guess I should start with my family," I said. "When I was 6 and my older brother, Chris was 9, my dad left us. I don't remember him very well and he was a total asshole. He hit my mom and he was never really in the house either. He always left and went out all night and then slept all day and never really paid attention to any of us. When I was 16 we were made aware that he died of a drug overdose. He lived on the other side of the country, that's how far away he got from us."

"That's so awful," Luke said. "I'm so sorry."

"Whatever, I don't really care," I said. "I didn't know him and I didn't want to know a man like him anyways. My mom became an alcoholic after he left and she was extremely verbally abusive. She never encouraged me to do anything with my life, it was always Chris who did. I had nothing better to do than focus on school all the time, which I guess paid off in the long run but it still kinda sucked. I didn't really enjoy myself a whole lot until after I graduated from high school."

"Things got better in college?" Ashton asked.

"For a while yeah," I said, taking a deep breath. It wasn't easy admitting to all of these things. "I was glad to move out of her house. I got a dorm at the university I was attending, and I stayed away from my mom as much as I could. I was doing okay for a while, I had a job at a grocery store in town and I was mostly just working or studying all the time. Then I got an internship at the publishing agency and things got a little better for a while."

"I remember you saying something to me about that," Ashton said.

"Yeah," I said. "The internship was one of the best things that happened to me."

"So then what?" Luke asked.

"Then I met Josh." I frowned, not wanting to remember anything that revolved around him but I knew I had to be honest with both of them. I had hidden enough already.

"Who's Josh?" Luke asked.

"He's my ex boyfriend," I said. "And probably one of my biggest mistakes."

"Continue," Ashton said.

"It started out nice," I said. "He seemed so sweet and nice and I was actually really happy with him. We had a healthy relationship for a few months, and then he asked me to move in with him."

"I don't like where this is going." Luke turned to look at me more.

"So I moved in with him, and I was trying my best to balance my internship with college and him all at the same time. I don't think I was really ready to have such a serious relationship yet. I was working all the time and I guess I didn't make enough time for him. He was always extremely needy, and it was like all the attention always had to be on him. I didn't realize how bad it was because I kept telling myself it was just a phase. There was only like 6 more months until I was going to graduate and then I'd be able to have more time for him and it would stop."

"So then what happened?" Ashton asked.

"Well, I noticed he was drinking a lot more. He always drank wine. Never champagne, or beer or hard liquor or anything. And then..." I covered my eyes, attempting to keep myself from crying. Luke placed his hand on my knee and Ashton took one of my hands in his.

"He started getting more violent," I said, trying to keep my cool. "He started throwing things, and I never thought he'd hurt me, but--" I choked on my words, Ashton squeezing my hand.

"No one knew about it," I said. "I never told anyone, not even Liam or Sophia. Liam was my boss at the publishing agency and Sophia is his wife. They were my best friends and I hid it from them too. It got so bad. I was scared to come home because I know he'd hit me. He was reminding me so much of how my dad treated my mom, and I knew it wasn't healthy to stay with him but at the same time I had faith in him that he would change. And I was so scared of him and what he might do to me that I didn't want to risk leaving him."

"Taylor." Luke reached over to me and wiped my tears away. I didn't even realize I was crying.

"That scar on your eyebrow," Ashton said, looking over at me from his driving. "Is that from him?"

"Yeah," I said. "Valentine's Day last year. He threw a plate at the wall and it broke and a piece hit me in the eyebrow and cut it open. I had to get 6 stitches."

"I swear to god, if I ever meet this asshole--" Ashton's hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, his jaw set angrily.

"It was actually this day last year," I said. "It was when I realized I had to get out of there. He was drinking and went into the bathroom for something. I slipped melatonin into his drink and he passed out on the kitchen floor. I ran to Liam and Sophia's house and stayed a couple nights there while and told them about everything. It was Liam's idea to send me to Seattle to transfer to the publishing agency here. He didn't want all of my hard work to go down the drain because of Josh and he talked to Harry and got me a job there. I moved about a week after I left Josh's house and lived in paranoia for about a month before I finally settled a little bit, and that's when I met Luke."

"I had no idea you've been through so much shit," Luke said. "I thought you just had a shitty mom, but no, you've had the entire package of shitty people in your life."

"So that time you thought I was going to hit you," Ashton said quietly. "It's because Josh would hit you all the time and you were scared I was going to."

"It was because your hand went up," I said. "I'm sorry Ashton, I know it's horrible to even think that but it happened so much, I didn't know what to think."

Ashton rested his hand on my thigh. I placed my own hand over it and closed my eyes.

"And it doesn't seem like a coincidence that today, a year after I left Josh, my brother is in the hospital because he's been shot," I said.

"He was shot?" Luke asked. "Okay, that does sound a bit fishy."

"Did you get any details?" Ashton asked. "Who was it that told you?"

"Liam called me and told me," I said. "He said he's in surgery right now but they don't know if he's going to make it or not and they don't know how long it'll be. And no one knows for sure who shot him."

"We'll be in Albany in a few hours," Ashton said, running his thumb back and forth with his hand on my thigh still. "Don't worry about anything, it'll only stress you out even more and that will only make things worse."

I nodded, and suddenly started crying again. The fear of not knowing if Chris was going to be okay or what would even happen in Albany was eating me up and the images of all the times Josh would hit me or my mom would harass me were still fresh in my mind.

Luke rubbed my back, digging through his bag to pull out a little travel package of tissues.

"I'm just so afraid of going back because I know Chris is injured and I know Josh is still living there," I said, blowing my nose.

"I'm not going to let anyone hurt you anymore," Ashton said. "Don't worry about a thing."

I eventually stopped crying and managed to relax enough to fall asleep on Luke's shoulder, being woken up to Luke and Ashton switching spots so Ashton could rest for a bit while Luke drove.

"We're about 2 hours from Albany," Ashton said, stroking my hair. I leaned against his shoulder. "Try to sleep for a little while longer."

I closed my eyes and drifted off again, trying to keep from worrying about what was going to happen.


	36. Chapter 36

"Taylor, wake up," Ashton nudged me and I jolted awake, looking around.

"We're in Albany," he said. I looked around and saw a familiar town, recognizing my entire childhood.

"I'm going to need directions to the hospital," Luke said, stopping at a red light.

I directed him as best as I could, and managed to remember how to get there since I was only away for a year. When we pulled into the parking lot, I called Liam.

"Hey," he answered. "Are you here?"

"Yes," I said. "We're in the parking lot now. What room is he in?"

"322," Liam said. "There's a waiting room on the floor that Sophia and I are waiting in. They're going to come tell us when he's out of surgery."

"Okay, we'll be up in a few minutes," I said and hung up. Ashton and Luke followed me inside. I chewed on my fingernails nervously as we went up the elevator. I stepped out into the waiting room to see Liam and Sophia sitting together in a couple chairs, and they both stood when they saw me. They pulled me in for hugs, holding me for a minute before pulling away.

"Liam, Sophia, this is Luke, my best friend and roommate, and this is my boyfriend Ashton," I introduced them, and they shook hands before we sat down in chairs and waited for someone to come back into the waiting room.

"Have you heard any more news?" I asked Liam.

He shook his head. "They said he's out of surgery and he's stable but they don't want anyone coming in to see him yet. He lost a lot of blood and he's still out."

I placed my hand on my face, trying to keep from worrying again. Liam put his hand on my shoulder and rubbed it, Ashton also placing his hand on my thigh.

A nurse walked into the room and I prayed it was news about Chris.

She walked up to Liam, who stood anxiously and I did as well, and smiled at the two of us.

"Chris Parks?" We nodded. "He's awake now, if you want to come in and see him. Just be quiet, he's still pretty out of it."

"Thank you," I said and walked with Liam down the hall to the hospital room and we walked in to see Chris sitting up on the bed slightly, sipping at a glass of water through a straw that a nurse was holding for him.

I immediately let out a breath of relief and sat down next to him, taking his hand in mine. He smiled at me.

"Hi Tay," he said quietly, closing his eyes. "What are you doing in Albany?"

"Why shouldn't I be in Albany you doofus," I said, holding back the tears in my eyes.

"Even when I'm in the hospital with a hole in my stomach you still manage to call me names. Annoying younger sisters, true to form."

I laughed a little, the tears falling from my eyes.

"Don't cry," he said. "I'm gonna be okay."

"Who was it?" I whispered.

"I don't know," he said. "I've been trying to remember. I went to a restaurant to get something to eat because Skye is in Vegas with her girlfriends. Someone must have slipped something into my drink because I barely remember paying the bill and I don't remember anything after that."

"I'm going to find out whoever did this and make sure they end up in jail," I said.

"The police are already trying to figure out who it was," he said. "Don't you worry about anything, Tay. I'm going to be fine."

Although his soothing sleepy voice was convincing, I couldn't help but feel guilty. If it really was Josh that did this, it would be my mistakes coming to haunt the people I love, almost killing my brother.

"Which one is your boyfriend?" Chris asked, smirking at me teasingly. "Or are they both chasing after you?"

I blushed a little, remembering Ashton and Luke were still here. I turned around and they were both standing outside in the hallway, talking to a nurse.

"Ashton is my boyfriend, the curly one," I said. "Luke is my roommate and best friend."

"He doesn't hit you does he?" Chris asked.

"God no," I said. "I definitely learned my lesson with that one."

"I'm glad," he said. "I'm really tired. I think I want to sleep for a while."

I looked over at the nurse in the room worriedly, and she smiled at me.

"It's okay, he's got a lot of drugs in his system," she said.

"I love you, Chris," I said as he closed his eyes.

"I love you too, Taylor," he mumbled. Before I knew it he was snoring and I let go of his hand and slowly left the room.

"How is he?" Ashton asked.

"Sleeping again," I said.

"It's 3 in the morning," Luke said. "We should all try to get some sleep."

I knew he was right, but I didn't feel tired. My brain was too awake.

"You guys can stay at our place tonight," Sophia said. "We should all sleep, and we can come back and see Chris again in the morning when he's more awake."

I hesitated, but Ashton placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Staying here worrying all night won't help," he said.

"Okay," I agreed reluctantly, following them to the elevator.

"You remember where we live, right?" Liam said to me when we stepped outside.

I nodded. "We'll be there soon."

Liam hugged me before he and Sophia headed to their own car and I directed Ashton to their house once we were in the car.

When I got inside, my stomach twisted at the familiar smell and look of their house. I took off my shoes when we were inside and followed them into the dining room.

"Are you guys hungry?" Sophia asked. "I could make something for you guys to eat."

I shook my head, and Ashton and Luke both politely refused food as well.

Sophia showed us to the guest bedrooms, and showed where the towels were in the hallway cupboard and the bathroom if we wanted to shower. She said goodnight to us, hugging each of us before she left to go to her own bedroom with Liam.

I went into the guest bedroom I stayed in after I left Josh. I considered going into the other one to stay in but Luke had already passed out on the bed and I didn't think Ashton would appreciate me sleeping in a bed with Luke. I needed to move past things that used to haunt me anyways.

Ashton came in as I was staring at the room, my bag still in my hand. He took my bag from me and set it down, wrapping his arms around me and holding me close to him.

"Let's get some sleep," he said, kissing my forehead as he climbed into the bed, pulling back the covers for me to lay with him.

I climbed into bed without even taking off my jeans or my bra and cuddled into Ashton's side. I set my phone on the table next to me as I laid down and tried to fall asleep as best as I could.

I woke up sometime to hear a buzz on the table next to my bed. I rubbed my eyes and reached over to look at my phone. It was 5:30am.

*You saw what I did to your pathetic brother. I'll do it to your boyfriend, Ashton next. Meet me at this address in an hour or you can kiss your precious prince goodbye.*

What the fuck? I thought to myself.

The next message came through, an address with a picture of a house. The number was unfamiliar, and I started panicking. Whoever shot Chris was not done and they were planning on doing it again, but this time to Ashton. I couldn't keep letting this hurt the people I love.

I pulled out of Ashton's arms and he stirred a little, blinking at me confused.

"Taylor? What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm just going to the bathroom," I lied. "I'll be right back."

Ashton laid back on the bed and closed his eyes, immediately falling back asleep. I crept out down the hallway and to the front door, where I pulled my shoes on and jacket quietly, careful not to wake anyone.

I left the house, debating whether or not to take Ashton's truck. I decided against it, running down the street instead.

I knew the house couldn't have been far from where I was, and I cursed myself for forgetting my phone back on the bedside table, but I knew I couldn't go back to get it. There was not enough time.

I eventually found the house, and took a deep breath as I walked up to the door, slowly opening it and walking inside.

I heard something in the kitchen and grabbed a vase nearby, slowly walking into it, peeking my head around the corner. I poked my head inside, all the blood draining from my face as I realized who it was.

Josh.

"Well, well, well, look who decided to stop being a little coward and running away from everything," he taunted, laughing at me from where he sat on the table. I kept the vase behind me, not wanting him to see.

"What do you want, Josh?" I asked.

"You think I want something from you?" he laughed, throwing his head back. I cringed at the glass of wine in his hand on the table.

"Well you obviously wanted something from me considering you nearly killed my brother," I said, keeping my calm. I was done being afraid of him and what he was trying to do to hurt me.

"That son of a bitch would have been dead if he didn't whack the gun away," he rolled his eyes.

"That's my brother!" I said. "Why do you keep harassing me? I left you a year ago, Josh."

"And that's exactly what the problem is," he said. "I wasn't good enough for you, so you ran away to start a new life with your precious little Prince Charming. I didn't give you what you needed so you just left me here by myself in all the pain and grief. I was in love with you, Taylor!"

"Bullshit!" I yelled back. "If you loved me then you wouldn't have hit me everyday! You wouldn't have been drinking so much you couldn't even walk correctly! You wouldn't have continued making the same mistakes over and over again even though you promised you would!"

"I loved you and you were too focused on everything else!" he yelled back. "It was like your work was more important than me, and you and your precious schooling was too much for you to just spend time with me on weekends! But no, you were always studying! Even if you didn't have finals! But when Chris wants to come see you, it's like you drop all your plans for him!"

"You're disgusting!" I yelled. "You are so selfish! I can't believe I ever thought I loved you!"

"Well that's okay, because I'm getting my revenge." He smiled at me, a cold smile that made shivers run down my spine. "I'm going to destroy everything that ever meant anything to you. I started with Chris, and I'm going to destroy everything you love. Ashton, Luke, Liam and Sophia, even that precious little cat of yours."

"You're sick." I shook my head, unable to believe he was saying all this. How did he know that much about me anyways?

"Does that not even faze you?" he stood from the table. I could tell he was getting angry. "Aren't you afraid?"

"No," I said. "I've spent way too much time being afraid of you. I have nothing to be afraid of. You're pathetic, and I feel sorry that you will never be able to love someone enough to make the sacrifices needed in order for it to work out. All you do is destroy things that are beautiful. You destroyed our relationship and you tried to destroy me but I am stronger than you think, and I will not let your negativity break me down the way it used to."

Steam was practically shooting out his ears. He threw his wine glass down, but I knew better this time. I threw the vase on the table and it shattered, startling him. He flinched backwards, stopping and placing his hand over his cheek, which was hit from a piece of the broken glass. I took his vulnerable state as an advantage and picked up the cast iron frying pan on the stove.

"You bitch!" he yelled, lunging after me. I swung the pan with as much force as my small body could muster and whacked him right across the head with it. He stumbled and fell against the ground, rubbing his head a little before he laid down and closed his eyes, groaning in pain.

I looked around desperately, spotting a landline phone in the kitchen. I picked it up and dialed 9-1-1.

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?"

"I'm in danger, I need help," I said into the phone.

"What's your address?" I gave the address to the lady and hung up, looking down at Josh who was still clutching his head on the floor, pieces of the vase all over the table, his wine glass in pieces on the floor in a puddle of the spilled wine and the frying pan laying on the ground as well.

"Taylor!" Ashton came running into the kitchen, looking around at the scene. I realized my entire body was shaking as I stared at Ashton across the kitchen.

He rushed over to me, taking my face in his hands. "Are you okay? Oh my god, did he hurt you?"

"No, Ashton, I'm okay," I said, holding his arms with my shaky hands. "I just called the cops."

Ashton pulled me against his chest and sighed. "Oh my god, I was so worried about you, I thought you were just going to the bathroom."

"I'm sorry Ashton." I started crying for what felt like the millionth time in the past 12 hours. "I wanted to fix my mistakes, and I did."

"Calm down, it's okay," he said. "The police should be here soon and they're probably going to question you."

I nodded. "I'm okay."

Ashton stood there and held me in his arms while I took deep breaths to calm down my rush of adrenaline. For the first time in ages, I finally felt at peace.


	37. Chapter 37

When the cops showed up, they immediately brought me and Ashton out of the house separately for questioning. I told them everything that happened and an ambulance came to bring Josh to the hospital. Luckily I didn't do too much of a number on him. He only had a concussion, but I didn't feel bad considering he'd done worse physical and emotional damage combined to me.

However, less fortunately for him, they used the text in my phone as evidence, and he wasn't very intelligent because they tracked the phone number back to his cell phone. He basically admitted in the text that he shot Chris, and that was going to land him a spot right in court and probably jail too.

I was finally allowed to leave at around 9 in the morning, Liam and Sophia waiting with Luke outside the house for Ashton and I.

Sophia hugged me, thankful that I was okay and threatening to ground me if I ever scared her like that again. I asked them if I could go back to the hospital to see my brother again.

When we went into his room I saw he was doing much better. He was a lot more awake, able to sit up a bit more in his bed now. He was slowly eating a meal sitting on the hospital bed and I sat with him and told him everything that had happened with Josh, including the text he sent me.

"It was Josh?" he asked.

I nodded. "He basically flat out admitted it over text and he did in person. He threatened to do the same with Ashton and Luke but I don't think that's going to happen. I have a feeling he's going to be in jail for a while."

"Oh I can guarantee he will be," Chris said. "He's harassed you too much and he shot me. The guy has issues and he needs some serious help."

I sighed in relief, knowing this huge issue was off my chest.

"You know what this means," Chris said.

"Yeah."

"You know we all miss you," he said. "Liam and Sophia talk about how much they miss you all the time. You can move back to Albany now if you want to."

"I think I want to stay in Seattle," I said quietly.

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh. That's okay. I didn't know that you'd end up liking it so much there."

"I didn't either." I looked out into the hallway and saw Ashton talking to Liam and Sophia about something. He had a bit of a smile on his face as he talked. I took a second to admire him.

"Am I going to get an introduction?" Chris smirked at me.

"Hey Ashton," I called to him in the hallway and he turned to look at me before walking into the room.

"Ashton, this is my brother Chris," I said.

Ashton smiled at Chris and sat down next to his bed. "It's nice to meet you."

"I hope you're taking good care of my sister," he said.

"I'm trying," he smiled, looking over at me. "She's a bit of a pain in the ass sometimes."

"Oh believe me, I know," Chris rolled his eyes, playfully nudging my arm. I smiled a little at them, but didn't say anything.

"Are you alright Taylor?" he asked me.

I nodded. "I'm really tired." I had maybe 2 1/2 hours of sleep.

"I'll be fine," Chris said. "I'm recovering quite well, at least that's what the doctors say. They keep pumping a bunch of pain meds in me so I can't really feel anything. But I'd imagine I'll probably live. You should go get some sleep and maybe something to eat."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "I came here to be with you since you're in the hospital--"

"You literally look like a zombie," he said. "All the concealer in the world wouldn't cover the dark circles under your eyes."

"Thanks."

"Sibling love at its finest," Ashton laughed. "Come on Taylor, we can come back later today after you've taken a nap for at least a couple hours."

I reluctantly stood from where I was sitting next to Chris and he smiled up at me.

"Taylor," he said before I walked out.

I turned back around to face him. "Yeah?"

"I think hitting someone across the head with a frying pan is pretty badass."

-

Once we had gotten back to Liam and Sophia's house, Sophia insisted I eat something and made me a sandwich, which I ate really slowly before I went into my bedroom.

I laid on the bed in the guest bedroom and passed out on it. I didn't know what time it was when I fell onto it to sleep but I woke again at 4 in the afternoon.

Ashton was sitting on the bed next to me, and brushed my hair off of my face when I woke up and turned over to look at him.

"Have you been in here the entire time?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"No I've only been in here for about 20 minutes," he said. "You've been asleep for 5 hours."

I sat up and stretched, feeling stiff. I grabbed my bag and pulled out my toiletries, moving kind of half awake through the room.

"What are you doing?" Ashton asked, standing from the bed and walking over to me.

"I feel gross. I've been wearing the same clothes for almost 24 hours. I need to take a shower."

"I'll go run the water," he said, walking into the bathroom and I grabbed a towel from the hallway cabinet and followed Ashton into the bathroom.

"I'll be out when you're done." He kissed my forehead and left the bathroom and I frowned. Although his action was sweet, I felt a distance between us.

I undressed and got into the shower, trying to relax under the hot water. I was out in no time and brushed my teeth before I went into the guest bedroom to get dressed.

Ashton wasn't in the room when I got in so I assumed he was out in the living room with the others. I had just put on my panties, bra and leggings when he knocked on the door quietly and came in, looking at me topless but looked away quickly. He walked over to the other side of the bed while I pulled a shirt over my head and grabbed my hairbrush to comb the tangles from my hair.

He sat facing the other way on his phone and I sighed, putting my brush into my bag and sitting on the bed. "Ashton."

He turned to look at me and locked his phone. "What?"

"What's wrong?" I asked him, and he leaned against the back of the bed and crossed his arms.

"It's nothing to be worried about right now," he said. "It can wait until we get in Seattle."

"Are you upset with me about something?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said quietly, picking at his fingernails.

"I don't want it to wait until we get back to Seattle," I said. "Talk to me about it."

He sighed and dropped his hands in his lap. "I don't know. I feel like you keep lying to me about a bunch of things."

I closed my eyes. I should have known this was coming and I should have known he'd be hurt by it.

"Ashton..."

"I mean, it's true isn't it?" he said. "You even lied to me this morning about something dumb. You told me you were going to use the bathroom and that you'd be right back. You didn't come back Taylor. You don't understand how hurtful it is to be lied to like that, especially about something so stupid."

"I know it's no excuse to lie to you, but if I told you where I was going you wouldn't have let me go," I said. "I wanted to fight my own battles."

"Well it was dangerous, Taylor!" he said. "You could have been seriously hurt!"

"But I wasn't!" I argued. "I was trying to make things right! And he would have found you and hurt you too! I don't know why you aren't seeing that I was doing all of this for the better and that my intention was never to hurt anyone!"

Ashton ran his hands through his hair and I got up and left the room, my stomach turning over as I shut the door behind me.

I went out to the dining room where Luke and Liam were sitting at the table playing cards and talking.

"Are you alright Taylor?" Luke asked. "You look a bit distressed."

"I'm fine," I said. "Do you know where Sophia is?"

"She ran to the store to get some stuff for dinner," Liam explained. "She should be home in about a half hour."

"Okay."

"You should play cards with us, Taylor," Luke said.

"I just want to be by myself for a little while," I replied, going to the front door to put on my shoes. I pulled on my sweatshirt as well, stepping outside. It was still warm since the sun hadn't set yet and I started walking down the street, recognizing the familiarity of the town I grew up in. 

I didn't know how to respond with Ashton. I knew it was wrong to lie, especially to someone I cared about so much. But it wasn't to hurt him, in fact it was to do the exact opposite. I know he wouldn't have let me leave if I'd told him where I was really going. And I thought the entire time we were together that maybe hiding the truth would save him from the demons of my past that haunted me. Clearly I was wrong, but that didn't mean I didn't have the right intentions.

I also knew that walking around outside on my own could be dangerous for me too. Although Josh was probably in the hospital or a holding cell in jail, it didn't stop me from being a little nervous about the extent he would go to make my life worse.

I found myself in a park I used to play in when I was younger. I sat on one of the swings, sighing as I wondered what the future would hold for me.

I loved Ashton. I knew that much. And I knew that I never wanted to hurt him and that I never wanted him to be involved in any of this. I regretted too many things from my past. I felt like I was at war with not only myself but everyone else around me.

"Taylor!" I looked over to see Sophia in her car on the road next to me. "What are you doing?"

"Thinking, I guess?"

"Get in the car," she motioned for me to come and I got up and walked to her car, getting in the passenger seat.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"I don't know, I feel awful," I said. "I mean I know I shouldn't be worried about Chris because he seems to be doing much better and Josh is taken care of and all these good things are finally happening but Ashton is mad at me because I've been hiding so much from him for so long. He feels lied to and I don't blame him for it."

"He probably doesn't understand," Sophia said. "I'm sure he'll come around."

"I'm just so scared that he doesn't trust me anymore," I said. "I'm afraid that this was the last straw and I blew it with him."

"Oh, honey that is not true," she said. "That boy is in love with you, I can tell by the way he looks at you. He will come around and see things from your side soon enough. And it should be all over now. Josh is going to jail."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. "I just got news that he's going to jail and he's going to be for a while. And when he gets out he's going to a mental hospital."

"That's good," I said. "I'm so tired of my mistakes coming to hurt people I care about."

"We all go through it," she said. "And you know, the people who matter are the ones who still love you and all of your demons."

She pulled into the driveway of her house.

"Do you mind helping me carry the groceries inside?" she asked, and we got out and I carried a couple of the bags inside.

-

The doctor from the hospital called Liam and said that Chris was recovering well still, and that he was probably going to be sleeping a lot for a few days and that visiting him would be pointless tonight because he'd probably be out for a while. I wasn't ready to face Ashton yet, so I told Sophia and, being the loving and understanding sweetheart that she is, suggested I help her make dinner, which I gladly obliged to.

Luke walked in as we were finishing the last of it and gave me a hug, probably sensing with his best friend radar I was really needing it.

"Hey Luke, can you go tell Ashton dinner will be ready in a few minutes?" I asked as he walked out of the kitchen and he nodded.

"Thank you so much for helping me make this," Sophia said. "It would have taken me twice as long to do without you."

"I love cooking, it's no big deal." I got out plates and silverware and went into the dining room to set the table.

Sophia brought the pasta and sauce out onto the table, and I went in to grab the salad and dressing to put out as well. I set it on the table as Ashton walked in with wet hair and sat down next to me at the table.

Dinner was peaceful, Liam and Sophia directing the conversation and asking Luke about college and what he was planning to do when he graduated. Ashton stayed mostly quiet, as did I, as we ate.

After dinner, Luke and I shooed Sophia out of the kitchen and washed the dishes, insisting that she was already doing so much for us and washing the dishes was the least we could do. We worked together in silence, finishing the last of them and I went to go get ready for bed.

I brushed my teeth and hair, rinsing my face and went into the living room where Sophia and Liam were watching TV, snuggled up together on the couch.

I thanked them for dinner and letting us stay another night before I informed them that I was heading off to bed and they said goodnight to me.

I opened the door to the guest bedroom and Ashton was sitting on the bed reading.

I ignored him and changed into my pajamas. I crawled into bed and faced the opposite way, closing my eyes.

"Are you going to sleep?" he finally asked.

"Trying to, yeah," I mumbled.

"It's 7:30."

"I'm tired."

A long silence fell over us and I assumed that was his way of saying goodnight. Disappointed, I closed my eyes again and tried to fall asleep.

I felt movement on the other side of the bed and a pair of warm arms wrap around my waist and soft lips against my neck.

I sighed and let him hold me but didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry," he said after a moment.

I pulled out of his arms and sat up, him sitting up with me.

"I'm sorry I've been so impatient and unfair with you," he said. "I have no idea how hard this all must be for you, especially with your brother being in the hospital. I've been so in my head about my own feelings I didn't even realize that it's not easy for you either. I know you never meant to hurt me, and I'm sorry if I made you feel even worse with the way I've been acting."

"Thank you," I said quietly. "It means a lot. All I've been wanting the entire time I've known you is to keep you out of the line of fire. And maybe I went about that the wrong way but all I wanted was the best for us."

"I know," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

After a moment, he pulled me against his chest and I closed my eyes, thankful we weren't fighting anymore. I'd had my fill of fighting for a while.

"Let's go to sleep," Ashton said. "Tomorrow is a new day, and it's going to be great. No more Josh bullshit."

I nodded and laid down in his arms with him. I eventually fell asleep to the sedative sound of his heartbeat and breathing.

-

Liam called Harry the next morning to inform him about what had happened. Harry was understanding and didn't make a huge deal about it, telling Liam he hoped Chris got better soon. Luke emailed his professors and got his assignments to catch up on while he was away, what he couldn't do he said he'd make up when we got back to Seattle.

Within a couple weeks, Chris was out of the hospital and back in his own home. His girlfriend, Skye was home from Vegas 3 days early when she heard about what happened and was able to take care of him when he got home out of the hospital. Josh was in jail, charged with attempted murder. I was relieved to know that he wouldn't be harassing me and I wouldn't have to worry about him hurting me anymore.

Ashton, Luke and I went back to Seattle and picked up Chloe on our way back home. Ashton spent the night when we got back to our apartment, too tired to drive back to his own house.

He laid in my small bed with me, which wasn't ideal but neither of us were complaining. I was happy to be back home knowing that my brother was doing well, Josh was out of hair for good and I no longer had to hide anything from Ashton or Luke.

"I hate the way Josh treated you but in a way I don't wish that it didn't happen because if it didn't you would probably still be in Albany and I'd still be sitting in Starbucks every Tuesday and Thursday glaring at people and avoiding socializing," he said.

"Well isn't that selfish of you," I teased.

"I'm a little selfish sometimes," he said. "Sometimes I just want you all to myself, Taylor Parks."

I rolled my eyes at him, smiling at the idiot I'd fallen in love with.

"Can I give you a middle name now?" Ashton asked me out of the blue.

"What?"

"The second conversation I ever had with you," Ashton said. "I asked you if I could give you a middle name. You said 'maybe someday.' Have I reached that 'someday' yet?"

I laughed a little, remembering the conversation. "Sure. What's my middle name?"

"Sophia."

"You liked her?"

"Yeah, she was nice," Ashton said. "Almost like a mom, but like a loving mom, not one that grounds you for not cleaning your room."

"She's a sweetheart," I agreed. "So you want my middle name to be Sophia?"

"Yes," he said. "And if we someday get married and have kids, I want our baby girl to be named Sophia."

"Okay," I laughed. "If we ever go down that road, we can name her Sophia."

Ashton rolled over and kissed me, and I smiled against his lips.

"I'm so in love with you, Taylor Parks."


	38. Epilogue

| One Month Later |

"It's time to party!" Luke yelled as he popped the top off of the champagne bottle, cheering that he'd finally finished off college.

Taylor and Ashton sat in the living room, smiling and cheering for Luke as he poured the champagne into four glasses--one for each of them plus a new girl Luke had been dating off and on for the past month named Katie.

"Thank God school is finally over for me," Luke sat down on the couch and hung his arm loosely around Katie's shoulders. He took a sip of the champagne and sighed, relieved that he no longer had to worry about final exams, late night studying and he was that much closer to being able to quit his job at Starbucks and do what he really wanted to do--become a high school math teacher.

"Would you like to make a speech?" Taylor teased him, snuggled into Ashton's side.

"Um, no." Luke rolled his eyes. "That would be a waste of time. School is dumb and I'm glad it's over. Now cheers."

He raised his glass and the other three tapped theirs against his, laughing at him and all taking a sip.

"So now what?" Ashton asked him.

"I have this student teaching kind of thing now," he explained. "I'm going to be working with these other math teachers at this high school nearby and hoping that I can get hired from there."

"Look at you, growing up from a little college boy," Taylor nudged Luke and he blushed.

"Now I can go out and make real friends," he said. "Not the annoying other guys who aren't graduating until next quarter because they were messing around partying too much."

"I'm proud of you," Taylor said, smiling affectionately at him.

The evening was spent sharing laughs and memories over a couple board games. Taylor and Ashton had plans to go out to dinner the following night, ones that Ashton had arranged because he had something to talk to Taylor about.

They went into Olive Garden because Ashton knew it was Taylor's favorite restaurant. When they were finally seated and their food had arrived, Taylor was about halfway through her food when Ashton decided it was time.

"Taylor, I have a gift for you," he said, reaching into his pocket for a little box he had. He opened it and pulled out a necklace and handed it to Taylor, and she observed what the necklace actually was.

"It's a key, and it says 'home' on it," she said.

"It's a key to my house," Ashton explained. "I want you to move in with me."

"Yes!" Taylor smiled. "Of course I will!"

Ashton smiled back at her, reaching across the table and taking her hand. "I love you."

"I love you, Ashton."

| Three Months Later |

Taylor stumbled while carrying a box up the steps, laughing at herself as the contents of the box fell all over Ashton's porch.

"Oh my god! Be careful," Ashton laughed, helping Taylor up from where she was laughing on the ground and helped her pick up the various items that had fallen out.

"I'm so clumsy," she said, picking up the box and walking inside again.

Ashton grabbed the last box from the back of his truck and brought it inside. Taylor had collapsed on his bed, exhausted from moving all day and relieved to finally have it all done.

Ashton approached the bed and smiled at his girlfriend laying like a puddle on the comforter. He was so in love with her, the way she didn't have a trace of makeup on her face, her hair was in a messy braid with half of it falling out and the paint stained overall shorts she was wearing over one of Ashton's oversized old t-shirts. Even in this sloppy and out of character state for her, she was a work of art. Ashton was so lucky.

"What are you looking at?" Taylor smirked, noticing her boyfriend's staring.

"You, obviously," he sassed.

Taylor sat up on the bed, happy to be able to share it with Ashton every night now. Ashton walked over and sat on the bed with her, leaning down and kissing her on the lips.

"Do you think Luke will miss you?" Ashton asked her.

"No way," she laughed. "Him and Katie are getting pretty serious now. I'm sure he won't even notice I'm gone anymore."

"Good," he said. "I'm not giving you back to him."

Taylor was about to roll her eyes at Ashton's possessive comment but stopped when she heard her cell phone ringing in her pocket.

"Hey Sophia," she answered. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's wonderful!" Sophia smiled, practically jumping up and down. Liam sat in front of her holding her hand, smiling fondly up at his wife.

"That's great to hear!" Taylor smiled, Ashton leaning in next to her ear to listen to the conversation as well. "But why are things going so wonderfully?"

"Liam and I are going to be parents!" Sophia exclaimed, unable to contain her excitement. "I'm pregnant!"

"What?! That's amazing!" Taylor turned to Ashton, who was smiling as well. "Congratulations! When is the baby due?"

"May," she said. "Will you guys be able to come down to meet the baby when she's born?"

"She?" Taylor asked. "And yes, definitely!"

"We actually don't know the gender yet, but I'm hoping for a girl. Liam wants a boy."

"Well Ashton and I will definitely come to Albany to see you when she's born," Taylor said. "I'm so excited for you two!"

"Thank you!" she said. "I hate to end this conversation so quickly but we have other people have to call and inform."

"Oh no problem," Taylor said. "Congratulations!"

After Taylor and Sophia said their goodbyes, Taylor turned to Ashton.

"This is so exciting! They're going to make such great parents!" she smiled, Ashton hugging her and secretly looking forward to the day he'd get excited about being a parent with her.

| One Month Later |

"Are you almost ready to go?" Ashton asked Taylor, fixing his tie in the mirror.

"Almost! Chill out!" Taylor said, finishing the last curl in her hair and going into their bedroom to change into her dress.

Ashton drove them to the church where Julie and Michael were having their wedding ceremony. Taylor recognized many familiar faces, a lot from work and a lot from people her and Michael both mutually knew. They sat through the ceremony and Ashton could swear he saw a tear slip from Taylor's eye when Julie walked down the aisle in her beautiful wedding dress, looking like a princess.

Everyone at the reception had fun congratulating Julie and Michael on their new life they were about to spend together.

| Two Months Later |

Ashton decided to bring Taylor to meet his parents for Christmas, which Taylor was nervous about but Ashton was beyond relaxed. He knew his parents would love her. They were extremely laid back and he knew they'd be proud of the wonderful choice for a girlfriend he'd made.

They walked up to the front door and Ashton knocked, feeling awkward about just walking in considering he didn't live with them anymore and hadn't for 6 years. His mother opened the door and smiled, excitedly pulling in both Ashton and Taylor for a hug.

"Oh Taylor! I'm so happy to finally meet you!" she kissed both of Taylor's cheeks and then went in to kiss her son's cheeks, making him flush red in embarrassment. He was always a mama's boy but he'd never admit to it now.

"You have to come in and meet Lauren and Harry!" she said, practically dragging them both inside and not giving them a chance to take off their jackets and shoes.

"Taylor, this is Lauren, Ashton's sister," Ashton's mother introduced the two of them. Taylor was almost startled at how much Lauren looked like Ashton, and Lauren gave Taylor a hug, also pleased to finally meet her.

"Harry is probably in his room studying," his mother explained. "He's taking the SAT's after break and he wants to ace them. He's looking into a private university to go to in a couple years and he's really set on getting accepted. I'll go get him." With a pat on both of their shoulders, Ashton's mother left the room and Ashton, Taylor and Lauren all sat down to start a conversation.

Taylor learned that Lauren was in college studying to go into marine biology and Harry was a junior in high school. At dinner, Ashton's mother bragged profusely about how well Ashton did in school growing up, keeping a 4.0 GPA all throughout high school and Ashton of course bragged about Taylor doing the same, on top of getting two years of college under her belt by the time she had graduated.

The following few days, Taylor relaxed around Ashton's family and grew to love their company. The day following Christmas, Taylor and Ashton headed back home and Taylor felt at peace, and happy to be with Ashton.

| Two Months Later |

On Taylor and Ashton's one year anniversary in February, both of them seemed to be almost dreading it. They'd been fighting a lot, occasionally turning into screaming matches in the kitchen in the wee hours of the morning that Taylor was sure they'd get a noise complaint from their neighbors about. Taylor would go to bed crying and Ashton would sleep on the couch, neither of them saying much to each other in the morning when they woke up. Taylor didn't know how much longer they'd be able to keep it going. It hurt her too much and she knew it was hurting Ashton too, but Ashton wouldn't show it.

Taylor woke up the day of their anniversary and found a note from Ashton on the counter.

Taylor-  
I had to go into work early today. I'm sorry about our argument last night. I have plans tonight so please don't plan on doing anything else. I love you.  
-Ashton

Taylor couldn't remember the last time Ashton had said that he loved her. Her heart tugged at it but she felt slightly betrayed, believing that the only reason he was saying that was because today marked one year since they'd been together.

All day long it lingered in her mind. Taylor would stay for Ashton's plans and see what would come out of it. She didn't know what would happen but she knew what she had to do if the night went for the worse. She couldn't make the same mistake as her last relationship; she needed to keep herself from getting even more damaged from what could be another toxic relationship. She just felt like before, the future was bright and clear but as of that day things were too foggy for her to know if it was going to work.

When Taylor got home, Ashton wasn't there. She went into their bedroom and saw a dress laid out on the bed and figured Ashton had put it out for her to put on. She changed into it and touched up her hair and makeup from the day.

Before long she heard the front door open and walked out to see Ashton in the kitchen wearing a nice suit and holding a bouquet of daisies, Taylor's favorite.

"You look beautiful," he said, handing her the flowers and leaning down to kiss her.

"Thank you," she smiled at him. "You're good at picking dresses that I'd like and wear. But can I ask why I'm wearing this?"

"I'm taking you out for dinner," Ashton explained. "Like old times. We have been focused too much on the negativity in our lives lately and we need to go out and do something together as a couple. Are you ready to go?"

Taylor nodded took Ashton's arm as he walked her out to his truck, a new one that he'd gotten recently that was a lot nicer than the old "piece of shit" that Taylor loved to tease him about.

Ashton took Taylor to Olive Garden, which was still her favorite restaurant. They sat and genuinely enjoyed each other throughout dinner, something they both needed and Ashton and Taylor were both feeling a lot better on the way home.

Taylor was brushing her teeth after she'd changed into her pajamas and Ashton came into the bathroom in his underwear, wrapping his arms around Taylor's waist and resting his head against hers. She leaned back into him, missing the intimacy they once shared that she was hoping after tonight they'd be able to rebuild.

As Taylor was sitting in their bed reading a book before she went to sleep, Ashton sat down in front of her suddenly.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned about the distressed look on his face.

"Have you ever thought about leaving?" he asked.

"Leaving? What do you mean?"

"I mean after all the fighting," Ashton said, reaching forward and pushing a loose strand of hair from his girlfriend's face. "Have you ever thought about packing up all your things and just leaving and getting as far away as you can so that I'll never be able to find you again?"

When Taylor didn't reply, and put a bookmark on her page and set it on the table next to her, Ashton's heart sank. He didn't want the same thing happening to him that had happened to Josh. Ashton was supposed to be a better boyfriend for Taylor, he spent so much time trying to prove that to her. How could he forget that along the way and make her even have the slightest idea that he didn't want to treat her way better than that asshole ever did?

"I know I've been a really shitty boyfriend lately," he said, moving closer to her so he was sitting right in front of her. "And I know that I haven't been focusing on us as much as I should be and I've been selfish and consumed in my own thoughts and issues too much to think about you and the damage its taking on our relationship. And I'm so sorry, believe me I am. If I could take back all the neglect I've shown you in the past couple months I would."

"I want to believe that's true," Taylor said quietly. "And I want us to work out."

"I'll prove it to you," Ashton said, taking her hands in his. "I'll prove to you that you're the only thing I want and if I ever lost you I'd never know what to do with myself."

"How?" she asked.

"Marry me."

"What?" Taylor's heart pounded against her ribcage.

"Marry me!" Ashton smiled. "I want you to be my number one priority. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Taylor Parks. I want you to marry me!"

"I--" Taylor sat in stunned silence, unable to find her words. Ashton took her face in his hands.

"I want to call you my wife," Ashton said. "I'm so tired of just calling you my girlfriend, I want you to be my wife and I want you to have my last name. Marry me Taylor."

"Yes!" Taylor was finally able to get the words out, practically choking on the tears swelling in her eyes. "Yes! Of course I'll marry you!"

Ashton leaned in and kissed her, this one somehow more passionate than any other they'd shared before. As she felt the same sparks ignite as the first time she kissed him, she knew it was going to work.

Taylor fell back against their bed, pulling Ashton with her. Ashton couldn't stop the feeling of his heart swelling in his chest as he made love to his new fiancé that night, and Taylor knew it was the start of a new beginning for the two of them.

| Three Months Later |

Time had flown by before Ashton and Taylor even realized it, and they were on a train to Albany the second they got a call from Liam that Sophia had gone into labor.

Ashton and Taylor rushed into the hospital to enter the room with Sophia and Liam. Sophia was laying on the bed, complaining to Liam about something, who looked helpless as he sat and tried to comfort his wife.

"We didn't miss the baby did we?" Taylor asked as she greeted Sophia by gently giving her a hug. 

"Oh no," Liam said. "But I'd like him to just come out already."

"Oh believe me, you're not the only one." Sophia rolled her eyes. Taylor looked surprised to see her so out of character but remembered she was in a ton of pain considering she was about to push a baby out of a hole that couldn't be any bigger than a quarter.

Within a few more hours, Sophia finally gave birth to a little baby boy, and although it wasn't the gender she was originally hoping for, she couldn't stop smiling and crying as she held the small newborn.

Taylor was the 4th person to hold the baby, the doctor being the first, then Sophia and Liam, and Taylor looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms, so beyond happy for her friends on their new addition to their beautiful family.

Taylor and Ashton caught up with Liam and Sophia while she held her baby, informing them that Luke and Katie had moved in together, and that Harry and his wife were doing great as well. A couple days into their trip to Albany, Taylor decided it was time for the two of them to meet back up with Chris and Ashton needed to meet her mother, whether she wanted him to or not.

She'd been out of rehab for a few months and Chris told Taylor that their mother hadn't touched a single drop of alcohol since she'd gotten out. Taylor was happy to hear this but knew she'd never have a good relationship with her mom, let alone the kind Ashton had with his.

They met up with Chris at his house for a little while and visited with him and Skye for a while before Taylor decided to take the nerve wracking visit to her mother's house.

When she knocked on the door, she almost didn't recognize her mother. The dark circles under her eyes she'd remembered her mother always having while she was in high school and college were gone. Her hair looked more full and healthy, her skin wasn't pale and she was no longer sickly looking. She had a scar on her forehead probably from the car accident she'd gotten into.

"Taylor?" she said, standing in shock. "It's been so long since I've seen you. I keep asking Chris to let me have a way to contact you but he wouldn't let me. And now you're right here in front of me!" Her mother wrapped her arms around Taylor in a hug, and Taylor hugged back, unsure of how to react to seeing her mother again after a couple of years.

"Do you guys want to come inside?" she asked. "I can make some tea or coffee or something."

"Sure," Taylor said, Ashton taking her hand and both of them following her mother inside.

She no longer lived in the house Taylor grew up in. She lived in a little house not too far from Chris. Pictures of Chris and Taylor from when they were younger were on the walls and the mantle, and Taylor as Ashton sat in the kitchen as her mom made a pot of tea for them.

"Mom, this is my fiancé Ashton," Taylor said, unsure of how she would react to the sudden news that Taylor was getting married.

"Fiancé?" she walked over to the table, Ashton standing and smiling at her and shaking her hand. She pulled Ashton in for a hug and he sat back down at the table as she sat with the two of them.

"I'm Cindy," she said, straightening out the table cloth and smiling at Ashton. "I've missed so much. I didn't know you were getting married Taylor. How long have you guys been together?"

"A year and three months," Ashton answered.

"Wow, time really does fly by," she said, resting her head in her hand. "If I could change so many things I would."

Taylor sat in silence, not sure how to react or what to think.

"You look great, mom," Taylor said after a while, earning a small smile from her mother back.

"I never thought my life would be better without alcohol," she said. "I wish I'd realized that wasn't true a lot sooner."

"Well there's nothing you can change, so you should always look in the future and try to see how you can make it better than the past," Ashton said.

"That's very true," she agreed. "It's just so hard living with so many regrets and knowing that I wasn't the mother that I could have been and definitely should have been."

"At least you figured it out," Taylor said, attempting to find optimism in the awkward situation. "Better late than never I guess."

Cindy reached across the table and took Taylor's hand gently. "You are such a strong and beautiful young woman, Taylor. You are the kind of woman I should have raised you to be, but I was too caught up in my own problems to see that. You have turned out to be so strong and independent on your own and I am so proud of you, not me, but you because you did that all on your own. I do not deserve one bit of your kindness and you are sitting here with me and your fiancé and the fact that you are here in front of me is enough to make me know that although I failed as a mother, you still grew up to be a successful and hard working woman and I am so proud of you for that."

"Mom--" Taylor's voice broke as she bursted into tears, as did Cindy and she pulled her daughter into her arms. Ashton sat awkwardly at the table, then decided to discreetly check on the tea to keep from ruining their moment.

"If you could ever forgive me for what I did to you, I'd never understand why but I'd love to have a chance to get to know you again," Cindy said as she pulled away and grabbed a box of tissues for the two of them.

"I do forgive you." Taylor wiped her tears and blew her nose. "I love you mom, and I've been waiting and hoping for you to come around."

"Well I have," she said. "And I promise I'm not going to make those same mistakes again."

| Eight Months Later |

In the middle of January, on the exact same date that Taylor and Ashton had that first conversation in Starbucks--when Taylor accused him of being an asshole because of the way he sat uncomfortably close to her, unsure of how to flirt but definitely wanting to know her better--was the day that Taylor Parks and Ashton Irwin got married.

Sophia, Megan, Katie, Julie and Cindy all helped Taylor get ready that morning, doing up her hair and makeup, helping her into her dress and pep-talking her that the day was going to be fine if she just relaxed her nervous anxiety.

Ashton stood and waited patiently for the love of his life to walk down the aisle. With Luke, Michael and Harry as his Groomsmen, Luke his Best Man and Sophia, Megan and Julie as Taylor's bridesmaids, Sophia as her Maid of Honor, Ashton had endless nervous excitement for the day.

At last, Taylor walked down the aisle in her wedding dress. Ashton turned to look at her, and for the first time in his life he literally choked up with tears at how much he was in love with her.

Taylor tripped and almost fell halfway down the aisle, making Ashton laugh a little at his dorky soon to be wife. He reached up to wipe away his tears as she joined him, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

As they said their vows, both of their parents cried as well as all three bridesmaids, and Taylor found herself choking up as she said hers, which made everyone's hearts swell.

When Ashton and Taylor were officially pronounced married, Ashton had a funny feeling in his stomach, the same butterflies he'd get every time Taylor smiled at him when they first started dating and every time he'd kiss her and hold her hand. Taylor felt the same butterflies in her stomach as Ashton leaned down to kiss her, and she couldn't help but smile while he kissed her, so happy to be with someone she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

The reception was a blast, Taylor and Ashton both drinking a little but responsibly. They were driven after the reception to a hotel where they were going to spend the night before they caught a flight in the morning to go on a two week long trip to Europe, spending every day in a different city. It was a wedding gift from Harry and Liam, who knew that Taylor wanted to go to Europe and Ashton wanted to go with her.

When they got into their hotel room, Ashton helped giggling Taylor out of her dress, and she pulled off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt, so smitten with this silly, dorky man she'd fallen in love with. She wanted everything with him, every bit of him, every little flaw and quirk he had, she loved it all, and she wouldn't change a thing about it.

| Two Years Later |

"Hey! You got to put it up, I get to take it down!" Ashton laughed as he swatted Taylor's hands away from the star on the Christmas tree.

"Fine!" she stepped back and let Ashton take it down, placing it carefully in their box of Christmas decorations.

"Hey, Luke finally asked Katie to marry him!" Taylor said as she put the garland in the box and Ashton took the Christmas tree out of its place, getting it to take outside to chop up later into firewood.

"Really? It's about time." Ashton took the tree and carried it out the back door to take outside, and Taylor got the vacuum to clean up the pine needles that fell as he carried it out.

When she was finished vacuuming and Ashton was finished sweeping the pine needles that fell on the kitchen floor, Taylor decided to tell Ashton something she'd been thinking about for a while and had been wanting to wait for the perfect opportunity to tell Ashton.

"Hey Ashton," she said, calling him in from the kitchen where he was getting water. He walked into the dining room and took a sip, setting his cup down.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, reaching for her and pulling her close to him.

"No." Taylor looked up at him. "I just have something I need to tell you."

"Okay, go on," he said.

"I want to have a baby."

Ashton stepped away from her, holding her by her shoulders to look at her. "Wait, seriously?"

Taylor nodded. "We've been married for two years, Ashton. We aren't getting any younger. We aren't doing anything right now. We have the money. I want to start a family."

"Let's do it!" Ashton yelled, grabbing her hand and running towards their bedroom.

"Wait, right now?" Taylor asked, practically getting dragged behind Ashton as he pulled her through the door.

"Yes!" he leaned down and took her face in his hands and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "We have to get started right away! Conceiving babies isn't an easy thing to do."

"Well okay," Taylor laughed, happy that Ashton was just as excited as she was.

| Three Months Later |

Taylor got home from a day of shopping on a Saturday. Ashton was asked to work for a few hours Saturday morning and Taylor decided this would be the best time.

After a couple months of failing, Ashton got more and more disappointed and less motivated to have a baby. Taylor knew it took more than just a couple tries and kept trying with him, knowing that eventually she'd be able to get pregnant. She had just been to the doctor earlier that week and she was excited to share the news with Ashton.

Ashton kissed Taylor hello when he got home, heading into their bedroom to change out of his veterinary scrubs. She let him go into the bedroom, sitting at the table with a gift wrapped for him and waited for him to come back into the room.

"What's this?" he asked as he sat at the table, and Taylor just smiled at him.

He opened it up, and pulled out the pair of baby shoes Taylor bought and the "#1 Dad" apron she'd also bought for him.

"Does this mean what I think it does?" he asked, smiling. Taylor nodded and Ashton jumped up from the table and scooped Taylor into his arms, running around the house with her and into the guest bedroom, setting her down on the bed and looking around at it.

"What do you think is a good color? I think purple," he said.

"What?" Taylor asked.

"We need a baby room," he said. "I think we should paint the walls purple."

| Three Months Later |

Taylor and Ashton held hands while they walked into the pregnancy clinic, going for an ultrasound to check on how the baby was doing. Taylor had successfully gotten past her morning sickness and her cravings were now getting worse, mostly macaroni and cheese and lime flavored jello. Ashton was more than happy to make Taylor whatever she was craving and spent time talking to her tummy every night.

When Taylor's name was called by the nurse she walked down the hall to see her doctor and got ready for the ultrasound.

Ashton stood next to her, holding her hand like he usually did. The doctor looked at the screen and watched, checking the baby for anything out of the ordinary.

"Oh." The doctor stopped and looked closer at the screen. "Oh my."

"What's wrong?" Taylor started panicking, worrying that something had gone wrong and that she wouldn't be able to have the baby with Ashton.

"Nothing is wrong," the doctor smiled at them both. "You're having twins."

"Twins!" Taylor turned and looked at Ashton smiling, who looked shocked but smiled at Taylor as well.

"Congratulations!" The doctor smiled excitedly at the two of them.

"Twins!" Ashton said on the way home. "That's so shocking but so exciting too."

"I know! I can't wait," Taylor reached over and placed her hand on Ashton's thigh.

| Three Months Later |

Taylor sat in the hair salon, waiting for the hair color to finish. Ashton knew the genders of the babies already, but Taylor was waiting to find out depending on what color the ends of her hair were going to be; pink or blue.

"I feel like this is the longest half hour of my life," Taylor said, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Don't get impatient," Ashton said while rubbing circles on her hand with his thumb. "If you get impatient then it'll only seem longer."

"Once we know the genders we can figure out names," Taylor said. "But of course, we know if they're girls then one has to be named Sophia."

Ashton smiled at her. "You remember me saying that?"

"How could I not, you dumbass," Taylor nudged him playfully while the hairdresser walked over again.

"It's time for me to rinse out your hair," she smiled at Taylor and turned her around to the sink to rinse it out. She put a treatment in her hair and blow dried it before she wrapped it in a cloth and put a mirror in front of Taylor.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"I can't wait any longer! Take it off!" Taylor exclaimed, and the hairdresser pulled the cloth out and Taylor's hair fell around her shoulders, in a pink and blue pattern.

"Oh my god!" she yelled. "We're having a boy and a girl?!"

Ashton nodded, and Taylor threw her arms around him, tears coming to her eyes.

"Congratulations!" the hairdresser said to the two of them, tears in her eyes at the happy moment as well.

For Ashton and Taylor, it was like things couldn't get any better.

| Three Months Later |

Baby Luke and Baby Sophia were born in December after a long and complicated labor, which Taylor was miserable all throughout and Ashton wouldn't stop freaking out during.

Many of their friends came to see the babies when they were born; Luke and Katie (who had gotten married a month before), Liam, Sophia, Chris, Skye, Ashton's mom and Harry and his wife. Taylor was uneasy with the number of people around but still let them see the babies, too excited about the new family she and Ashton were going to have.

Although the labor was long and painful for Taylor, it was all made worth it when she saw the look on Ashton's face as she held the two newborns in her arms.

"Oh my god." Ashton was full on crying, tears pouring out of his eyes. Taylor had never seen Ashton cry that much, and the sight made her cry too. Ashton sat down next to her hospital bed on a chair and she handed him one of the babies, tears still coming from his eyes relentlessly.

"I love you so much," Ashton said to Taylor, turning to the babies in their arms and saying the same to each of them.

"We're parents!" Ashton cried some more, unable to hold the baby he was holding and handing him back to Taylor. She smiled as he took a deep breath and looked at his new family, his emotions in chaos.

"I love you so much," Taylor said to Ashton, who leaned down and kissed her on the lips, then on the forehead and sat, knowing he was a dad, and began dreaming out the wonderful life he knew he had ahead of him.

| Five Years Later |

"Hold still, sweetie," Taylor finished braiding Sophia's hair as she got her backpack for her and Ashton got Luke's for him. "You need to sit still so you aren't late for your first day of school."

"But mommy, what if the other kids don't like me?" Sophia asked.

"Then I'll beat them up!" Luke said, raising his little fist in the air.

"Okay, no beating anyone up," Ashton said, smiling at Taylor as they all walked out the door to the car and they helped the kids into their car seats.

"You're going to make plenty of friends," Taylor said to Sophia after she was buckled into her seat. "You are a lovely girl and I'm sure tons of other kids are going to love being your friend."

"Really?" Sophia asked timidly.

Taylor nodded and smiled at her daughter. "But remember, you have to be kind to them if you want them to be kind back."

"So does that mean if they're mean to me I can be mean back?"

"No, you don't want to be mean," Taylor said. "If you're mean then they won't want to be your friend."

"Okay." Taylor kissed Sophia's forehead and got into the passenger seat next to Ashton.

As they walked the kids to their classrooms, their teacher greeted them and said hello to the children.

"Who are these kiddos?" she asked, smiling big.

"This is Luke and Sophia," Taylor smiled back, placing her hands on their heads as Ashton wrapped his arm around her waist. "They're very excited for their first day."

"Well we're excited for them too!" she smiled. "Come on guys, let's go sit down with the other kids."

"Bye mommy! Bye daddy!" Sophia and Luke both hugged Taylor and Ashton goodbye, who were reluctant to let them go.

"We'll be back to get you guys later," Ashton said as he kissed both of his children goodbye.

As Taylor and Ashton walked back out into the parking lot, Taylor sighed and looked back at the little preschool.

"They'll be fine," Ashton said, leaning in and kissing her on the cheek.

"They're growing up so fast already," Taylor said. "It's like just yesterday they were newborns."

"I know," he replied. "But everyone has to grow up eventually. Let's get home, we should both get to work."

Taylor stopped and grabbed Ashton's hands and looked up at him smiling.

"What?" he smiled back down at her.

"I'm just glad you chased me back down after all those times I ran away from you." Ashton leaned down and kissed Taylor's nose.

"Well you've definitely proved to be worth it."

When Taylor got into her own car to drive to work, Ashton stopped at her window to kiss her goodbye.

"Don't ever try to run away from me again," he winked, turning and climbing into his own car.

Taylor laughed and shook her head as Ashton pulled out of the driveway, watching him go with a smile on her face at the man she was so helplessly in love with.

"Believe me, Ashton Irwin. I won't."


End file.
